Defense, Jrue Holiday key the Bucks' 132-119 victory over the Pacers in MLK Day game at Fiserv Forum

The Milwaukee Bucks returned home from a weeklong road trip and, despite not having Giannis Antetokounmpo, beat the Indiana Pacers, 132-119, Monday afternoon at Fiserv Forum.

The victory prevented a three-game losing streak without their star and improved the Bucks to 28-16. The Pacers lost their fourth straight and dropped to 23-22.

“Tonight it was cool to see the ball go through a little bit,” Bobby Portis said. “It’s just fun to just get a win. Not the individual stats and shooting the ball and making shots, just think it was a good overall team win for us, just to get back into the win column.

"It’s a jumbled up race right now in the East, so just to get a win I think that was good just to say, ah, we got one and now we can enjoy the rest of our day.”

Here are some takeaways from the game:

Bucks bench, defense key rally from 13 down

Grayson Allen found himself all alone on the wing, and when he sized up and drained a three-pointer with 10 minutes 3 seconds left in the game to give the Bucks a 101-100 lead, it completed a long 13-point comeback.

Milwaukee turned to veterans George Hill and Wesley Matthews off the bench – guards who had not played since Jan. 6 – to key a strong defensive close to the third quarter to get the Bucks back in it.

Box score: Bucks 132, Pacers 119

Monday marked the second game Matthews had played since Dec. 28. He had appeared in 25 of the Bucks' first 34 games, averaging 15.1 minutes per game. It was the third game Hill had played since Dec. 17. He missed four games with an illness in which he said he lost 10 pounds and had not seen action in seven other games. He had played in all 29 of the previous games and averaged nearly 20 minutes per game.

“Gotta be a professional and do what you do: Come in, make plays," Matthews said. "You’re sitting there watching the game, I’ve been watching the game for all month essentially, you see where you can help, you see where you can fit in, impact each and every game. I saw opportunities tonight the way they were playing us and just bring energy and just be who I am.”

Jordan Nwora added 14 points off the bench to help the Bucks get over the top in the fourth quarter. He also had a steal that led to an Allen three and a three-pointer of his own to make it 110-107 Bucks.

“I feel like I’m somebody who, if given the chance to consistently go out there and play, I think that’s something I can learn and be able to contribute consistently,” Nwora said. “Just about getting to that point. And that comes with being on a really good team. We have really good players and stuff like that happens.

"When it comes to scoring, I think I can help with that. It’s something I’ve done my whole life is making shots and as you can see, like it carries over (after scoring 16 points in Miami on Jan. 12). It’s just about being given those chances.”

Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton (eight points, eight rebounds) and Bobby Portis closed it out from there, as Holiday scored seven of his team and season-high 35 points in about 90 seconds and assisted on baskets by Lopez and Connaughton.

Holiday finished with 11 assists for his third straight double-double and his 10th on the season.

"I wouldn't necessarily say I feel the responsibility, I just think that it happens," Holiday said of his offensive output when Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are not playing. "I'm pretty much dominating the ball.

"I know with Giannis there and even with Joe (Ingles) out there playmaking and doing a lot of that, Giannis does take on that load because in transition he's unstoppable. But I do think without him there I really just try my best almost every possession to try and touch the paint or attract two guys."

Portis added a pair of free throws and a jump ball victory that led to a Holiday bucket and a 126-117 lead Bucks lead in the final minutes.

Hill then provided the backbreaker, hitting a floater off an Allen tip-out to make it 128-117 with 1:41 to go. Matthews had two points, an assist and a rebound in six minutes while Hill had nine points and six assists in 23 minutes.

In their last seven games, the Bucks have held off late, 20-point rallies from Toronto and Atlanta and then came back from 17 and 13 points down against New York and Indiana to go 4-3.

“It is (important to win) but at the same time we hold ourselves to the standard that we shouldn’t be down 17, we shouldn’t be down 13," Matthews acknowledged. "Being able to battle back in our minds, not in an arrogant way, what we should be able to do.

"We know every team is tough, there’s no nights off in the NBA, but the way that this team is put together and how we feel about ourselves and the cohesiveness of this team, we shouldn’t be in the situation where we get down 17. And obviously there’s going to be nights where the team is just hot, you don’t have it, but you know, it’s been happening a lot of as of late, so that’s something we’ve got to; it’s nice to win but we’ve got to learn from the lessons of let’s not get in that situation.”

T.J. McConnell has a career day for Pacers

The Pacers backup guard set the tone for his team – and himself – in his first five minutes of the game off the bench on Monday. He poured in 10 points, had two assists and a steal for Indiana in the opening quarter and helped his team take a 38-31 lead after the Bucks made it 32-31.  McConnell hit Isaiah Jackson for a dunk with four seconds left and then picked off a Portis pass and drained a buzzer-beater.

Despite his hot start, the Bucks still gave him space on offense into the second quarter and he made them pay by starting the game 7 for 7, including 4 for 4 from behind the three-point line for 21 points in his first 12 minutes.

He helped Indiana build a 13-point lead halfway through the second quarter. Full of confidence, McConnell continued his hot play by getting into the teeth of the Bucks defense, making a 6-footer and a layup around Lopez for a career-high 25 points on 9 of 9 shooting.

“A lot of energy and a lot of points,” Holiday said of McConnell. “I think the way he plays, pushes the pace, he’s really hard to slow down and it seems like the way they play, the shooters they have running the floor, I think Myles Turner got like four dunks today in that first half. It really complements the way that he plays. He’s knocking down his shots, he’s getting into the paint, just doing a lot of everything.”

His previous career high of 23 points came against Milwaukee on May 13, 2021.

McConnell then dished out his sixth first-half assist with a drive-and-kick to a wide open Andrew Nembhard for a three to give the Pacers a 76-65 first half lead. McConnell’s dominant second quarter (15 points, 12 points created off his four assists) helped Indiana score 38 points, a season high for a Bucks opponent.

McConnell would see a more concerted effort from Bucks defenders in the second half, a much-needed move for Milwaukee and one that helped key their comeback. The guard was only able to add four more points in the second half.

“I think initially we just tried to just ride it out, see if we could maybe give him different looks, slow him down, go under guys and try to keep him out the paint but he was knocking down his three,” Holiday said. “Then you pressure up and he’s getting into the paint and dishing it out to other people.

“I really think that second half we did a good job of staying low, staying under, being able to keep him out the paint as much as possible and really keep their whole team out the paint and really contest those threes.”

Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez bounce back

In his two previous starts in place of Antetokounmpo, Portis was just 9 for 22 from the field (40.9%), including 1 for 5 from behind the three-point line. He scored a total of 27 points and pulled down 14 rebounds over the two games in Miami (where he did suffer a bruised quadriceps) but they were “down” performances for the Sixth Man of the Year candidate in that he had already recorded six games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds and 25 total double-doubles.

Portis scored 21 points on 7 of 16 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds. He also handed out four assists.

In Miami, Lopez was just 7 for 22 (32%) from the floor for 19 total points. The Bucks center had 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting and had six rebounds against the Pacers.

Indiana center Myles Turner had a good day, scoring a team-high 30 points on 11 of 17 shooting (including 5 of 9 from behind the three-point line) but the Bucks’ big men were able to keep pace on the offensive end.

“You gotta have some guys step up and help and both Brook and Bobby, they had a little bit of inside-out (scoring),” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It felt like we were countering (Turner). That’s what we need from Bobby and Brook when we’re going to play without Giannis.”

Antetokounmpo misses third straight game with knee soreness

The Bucks were without Antetokounmpo for the third straight game with left knee soreness. He went through his normal pregame routine, but it was a more extended session. Budenholzer said before the game Antetokounmpo would be held out.

Monday marked the ninth game this season Antetokounmpo has missed with soreness in his left knee.

"I think his communication and the medical group just feel like this is where he is," Budenholzer said. "Today he's out. It's kind of the stuff that he and us have dealt with. For me, it's each year that I've been here. So, we don't think it's anything more than that. Him being healthy, taking care of him is always our priority and we're probably always going to err on the side of caution and know how important he is to us."

Antetokounmpo missed three of four games from Nov. 5-11 with the ailment and was out of action for six days before returning Nov. 14 to play in nine straight games.

The Bucks play Tuesday night against Toronto, and then are off until Saturday night in Cleveland. If he is held out against the Raptors, he would have nine days between games.

"That hasn't been discussed," Budenholzer said about Antetokounmpo's status. "We'll see how he feels after today. There's usually lifting and some other type of body stuff that will go into today, see how he responds, see how he's feeling tomorrow. But there's been no discussion, no decision as far as tomorrow stands."

In an eight-game period from Dec. 19-Jan. 4, Antetokounmpo played 37.6 minutes per game and averaged 39.1 points, 14.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists, a personally historic stretch that saw him score a career-high 55 points on Jan. 3, post back-to-back 40-point and 20-rebound games and record a 30-21-10 triple-double.

But beginning Jan. 6 against Charlotte, his offensive production drastically dipped. He averaged just 17 points on 36% shooting, including two single-digit scoring efforts. He was 3-for-10 in Atlanta on Jan. 11 before being shut down before the two games in Miami.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton out injured

Oshkosh native Tyrese Haliburton was denied a homecoming Monday as he was out with a left elbow sprain and left knee bone bruise. Haliburton suffered the injuries Jan. 11. The 22-year-old is having an all-star caliber campaign, averaging 20.2 points and 10.2 assists per game.

Five numbers

5-4 Bucks record when Antetokounmpo doesn’t play. Monday’s victory snapped a three-game losing streak without their star.

9 Straight games won by the Bucks over the Pacers. It is the third-longest winning streak against an opponent behind Sacramento (13) and Orlando (12).

60.9 Shooting percentage by the Pacers in the first half (28 for 46), which included a 12 for 22 (54.5%) mark from behind the three-point line. The torrid shooting helped them take a 76-65 lead at the break.

2/12/2020 The last time the Pacers beat the Bucks in the regular season, a 118-111 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Antetokounmpo did not play in that game also.

871 Starts for Lopez, which passed legends Larry Bird and Magic Johnson for No. 77 all time. Monday was Lopez’s 272^nd start for the Bucks. He started 527 games for New Jersey/Brooklyn and 72 games for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Plays of the game are T.J. McConnell's first quarter flourish

The backup guard had a huge impact on the game in just five first quarter minutes, not only in scoring 10 points but creating points for others. The Bucks had just pulled within one when McConnell led a last-second surge to give his team a seven-point advantage going into the second quarter.

Video of the game is Grayson Allen's finish over Myles Turner

Allen isn't afraid to go to the rim and he showed that in challenging all 6 feet 11 inches of Turner on the fast break. Allen went up strong and Turner closed hard, but Allen still had enough to get the ball to roll in with five minutes to go in the third quarter.

Bucks injury report

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee soreness), out

• Jrue Holiday (right ankle sprain), probable

• Bobby Portis (right quad bruise), probable

• Serge Ibaka (personal), out

• Joe Ingles (injury management), out

• Khris Middleton (right knee soreness), out

Who do the Bucks play next?

The Bucks host the Toronto Raptors at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Fiserv Forum, the second time they're playing the Raptors on the back end of a back-to-back in less than two weeks. Toronto overcame a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime in Canada on Jan. 4, but Allen won the game for the Bucks with a three-pointer. Toronto is led by Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Defense, Jrue Holiday key Bucks' victory vs. Pacers at Fiserv Forum