Pacers lose first game after trade deadline to Bucks, Myles Turner

Bottom falls out for Pacers in middle two quarters, fourth quarter rally fizzles

The Pacers opened Friday’s game on a 12-4 run and had though they allowed that lead to disappear quickly, they still had a 29-23 advantage at the end of the first quarter. They made 11 of 21 field goals and 5 of 12 3-pointers in the first quarter with a healthy 1.21 points per possession.

Then the bottom fell out for the middle two quarters. They made a wild fourth quarter rally, but that stalled out just as the Pacers had a chance to take control.

The Pacers were outscored 31-18 in the second quarter and 29-18 in the third, for a combined total of 60-36. They made just 13 of 40 field goals in that stretch including 4 of 23 3-pointers to finish below 0.90 points per possession in both periods while allowing the Bucks to make 25 of 49 field goals in that stretch.

The Pacers entered the fourth quarter trailing 83-65 but showed some life with a 15-0 run at one point and got back within four points on a 3-pointer by Andrew Nembhard that made it 91-87 with 4:11 to play. However, the Bucks went on a 7-0 run to get back up 11. The Pacers had another late rally aided by a Bucks technical foul to get within four with 11 seconds to go but a Bobby Portis layup put the game away.

Myles Turner goes for nine points, 10 rebounds

Myles Turner already made his two trips back to Indiana this year and was booed both times. This was the first time he got to host his old team in his new home.

The Pacers’ all-time leading shot blocker had a solid night. He scored nine points on 4 of 10 shooting with a 3-pointer and also grabbed 10 rebounds. He was +11 in his time on the court. There was less drama without the Indiana fans’ reaction and Turner got a warm reception after the game from teammates, giving big hugs down the line.

T.J. McConnell passes Tyrese Haliburton … for now

It assuredly won’t last long, but T.J. McConnell has leap-frogged Tyrese Haliburton on the Pacers’ all-time assists list.

McConnell had a three-year head start on Haliburton when the All-Star point guard arrived in February of 2022 in a trade with the Kings and Haliburton obviously blew past him on the list with 10.1 assists in three-plus seasons for 2,259 total in his time in Indiana for seventh place on the franchise’s all-time list. However, his season-ending Achilles tendon tear has allowed McConnell to catch up. He entered Friday with 2,256 total assists, averaging a steady 4.8 per game this season and passed Haliburton in the first half with five assists. McConnell finished with six assists to get to 2,262 for his Pacers tenure. He has 30 more games to build a cushion on Haliburton before the two-time All-NBA pick gets to start catching up.

Reggie Miller holds the Pacers’ all-time assist record with 4,141. Freddie Lewis is sixth with 2,279 and McConnell should also be able to catch him by the end of the month.