INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bojan Bogdanovic tied his season high with 29 points and grabbed a key jump ball late to lift the Indiana Pacers over the Milwaukee Bucks 92-89 on Monday night.
Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton stole Victor Oladipo’s pass with 10 seconds left and Indiana leading 90-89. He rushed to the basket, but Cory Joseph chased him down and got a hand on the basketball before Middleton could attempt a shot. The ball rolled out of bounds, and referees called a jump ball after video replay. Bogdanovic came down with the tip off the jump ball and added a pair of free throws with six seconds left.
Thaddeus Young had 10 points and seven rebounds, and Oladipo finished with 14 points, five assists and five rebounds along with 10 turnovers.
After Bogdanovic’s free throws, Milwaukee had a chance to tie it, but Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 3-pointer from the wing hit the front of the rim as time expired.
The Pacers and Bucks got off to a slow, sloppy start. Indiana led 20-17 at the end of the first quarter. Both teams were playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
Milwaukee took a 46-44 lead into halftime, and then both teams came alive in the second half. The Pacers opened up the third quarter with a 19-5 run that gave them a 65-50 run. The 15-point lead was Indiana’s largest of the game. But Milwaukee wasn’t done. The Bucks put together a 19-5 scoring run to pull within four points at the end of the third quarter, setting up a back-and-forth fourth quarter.
Antetokounmpo finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Eric Bledsoe led the Bucks with 26 points.
After going scoreless in a win over Charlotte on Jan. 29, Bogdanovic has scored in double figures in 13 straight games. In six of those contests, Bogdanovic has scored 20 points or more. The 13-game streak is the longest of Bogdanovic’s career.
