3 Points: One of Pacers' biggest strengths crumbles as Bucks create cushion in standings

MILWAUKEE -- Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out seven assists to lead the Bucks to a 126-119 win over the Pacers on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum, taking sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Pacers fell to 37-29 and the Bucks improved to 38-28, taking a one-game lead on the Pacers for fourth in the East and winning the season series between the two teams 3-1.

Bucks guard Damian Lillard added 25 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Guard Kevin Porter Jr. scored 16. Forward Aaron Nesmith scored 30 points to lead the Pacers. Pascal Siakam added 26 and point guard Tyrese Haliburton added 24 points and 15 assists.

Here are three observations:

Pacers couldn't stop Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard

A bit part of the reason the Pacers were in position to beat the Bucks on Tuesday on Tyrese Haliburton's miracle four-point play was their defense reasonably contained the Bucks two superstars. Antetokounmpo had an excellent line with 19 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists, but keeping him under 20 even if it's an efficient 19 points is a win. Andrew Nembhard, meanwhile, bottled up Lillard by Lillard's standards and he finished with 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

On Saturday, they had nowhere near such luck slowing down either.

Antetokounmpo bulldozed his way through bodies to get to the rim seemingly at will and he hit mid-range jumpers when the Pacers tried to use a three-man wall at the foul line to hold him back. He finished with 34 points on 14-of-19 shooting and made 6-of-6 free throws.

Lillard, meanwhile, found a lot more open space than he did Tuesday and made the most of it. He scored 25 points, including 6-of-12 from 3-point range.

Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith were brilliant, kept Pacers in it

The addition of Siakam to the Pacers' roster last January gave them the closest thing they could get to an answer for Antetokounmpo. Antetkounmpo is more powerful, but Siakam at least brings close to the same amount of size and length and he can also bring the ball up, create offense, get to the paint and score in the midrange.

Siakam had less luck slowing down Antetokounmpo on defense than he did in Tuesday's game, but he was at least just as efficient in answering him on the offensive end.

Siakam scored 26 points on 12-of-22 shooting. In the second quarter alone he scored 17 points on 8 -of-10 shooting. When no one else could get the ball in the paint or especially near the rim, Siakam managed to do that while also hitting shots outside the paint and beyond the 3-point arc.

Nesmith was also excellent. He scored 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting and nailed 6-of-7 3-pointers. He was +27 in 36 minutes.

Pacers had big problems when the bench was on the floor

The Pacers count their depth as one of their strong suits and have in the past considered their bench one of their most important weapons, but Saturday night it was part of the force that dragged them down.

The Pacers' starters rallied them back from deficit after deficit to make the game interesting until the end, but their bench minutes put them in a giant hole.

The Bucks' bench outscored the Pacers' bench 35-18 but the biggest issue were the plus-minus figures. Veteran point guard T.J. McConnell, who has carried the bench for the past three seasons and made it the leading scoring bench in the league last season, was -34 in 16 minutes and 17 seconds on the floor. Bennedict Mathurin, the Pacers' high scoring bench wing, was also -34 in just under 12 minutes. Four of the five subs the Pacers used were -14 or worse.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Bucks: Giannis, Dame Lillard give Milwaukee edge in standings

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3 Points: One of Pacers' biggest strengths crumbles as Bucks create cushion in standings

Pacers couldn't stop Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard

Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith were brilliant, kept Pacers in it

Pacers had big problems when the bench was on the floor

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