GIANNIS Antetokounmpo buried a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a thrilling 117-115 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night (Tuesday, Manila time) in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Antetokounmpo powered Milwaukee with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists, while Kyle Kuzma added 15 points as the Bucks earned their third win in their last four outings.
The game also marked the return of Myles Turner to Indiana, this time wearing a Bucks uniform after signing as a free agent last July.
Turner, who spent nine seasons with the Pacers, was booed by fans throughout the night, starting with a pregame video tribute shown before player introductions.
Turner finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and five blocks. He scored only two points in the second half—a short jumper that gave Milwaukee a 115-113 lead with just over two minutes left.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 32 points and eight assists, while Isaiah Jackson, who started in Turner’s place, tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds—his highest scoring output since January 2022.
Despite controlling most of the game, Milwaukee nearly let it slip away as Indiana erased an 11-point deficit in the final six minutes. Aaron Nesmith’s driving layup tied the score at 115 with 14.6 seconds left.
After a timeout, the Bucks handed the ball to Antetokounmpo, who dribbled down the clock and drained the game-winning jumper at the horn.
Meanwhile, Jusuf Nurkic hit a go-ahead basket with less than a second remaining to lift the Utah Jazz (2-4) past the Boston Celtics (3-4), 105-103.
Nurkic recorded a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Keyonte George led all scorers with 31 points. Lauri Markkanen and rookie Kyle Filipowski added 20 and 13 points, respectively.
In other games, the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 110-102; the New York Knicks downed the Washington Wizards, 119-102; the Minnesota Timberwolves crushed the Brooklyn Nets, 125-109; and the Detroit Pistons prevailed over the Memphis Grizzlies, 114-106./PN
