The Milwaukee Bucks (13 - 21) defeated the Indiana Pacers (18 - 14) 120 - 116 on Thursday. The New Year's Eve showdown between the two Central Division rivals was atypical in a number of ways. To begin with, one of the rarest sights in the NBA this season, a Bucks road victory, came to pass, and against a quality opponent to boot. The Pacers had entered Thursday's contest sporting an impressive 11 - 5 home record and playing quality basketball overall. Meanwhile, Milwaukee had managed a paltry three wins in 18 tries away from the Bradley Center, including consecutive road losses to the Mavericks and Thunder preceding Thursday's game. They'd also struggled offensively the majority of the year, often failing to even reach 100 points over the first 30 games of the season. However, the light has seemingly come on for Milwaukee, and their side of the scoreboard, over their last two outings. After tallying 123 points in the loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday, the Bucks roared right back with another outstanding night on offense, shooting a stellar 58 percent from the field and 43 percent from beyond the arc. They also managed 35 of their points off 20 Indiana turnovers. As it turned out, they needed every one of those buckets before all was said and done, with the Pacers coming on strong with a 39 - point fourth quarter to make things close until the final seconds. Milwaukee was once again led by standout guard Khris Middleton, who is in the midst of one of the hottest shooting stretches of his four - year career. The Texas A & M product has now shot 63 percent from the field over his last two games, and collected 69 points in the process. Thursday, Middleton managed 33 points, five rebounds, four assists, a block and a pair of steals to lead all scorers, including an impressive 4 - for - 6 performance from three - point range. Greg Monroe pitched in with 23 points and three rebounds of his own, while Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo contributed a pair of 14 - point efforts. The former added three rebounds and an assist, while the latter had an outstanding defensive game as well, contributing six rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Michael Carter-Williams closed out a remarkable night for the starters with a stat - sheet - stuffing 11 - point, seven - rebound, eight - assist effort that also included three steals and three blocks. Jerryd Bayless paced the Bucks' reserves with 14 points as well. The Bucks improved to 13 - 21 but remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They now head to Minnesota for a Saturday showdown versus the Timberwolves. Indiana's starting five enjoyed a highly productive night, and were encouragingly led by a resurgent effort from All-Star Paul George, who'd been struggling considerably with his shot in recent games. The small forward exploded for 31 points on the strength of 8 of 13 shooting from the field, including a 5 - for - 9 performance from long distance. After having shot an abysmal 28 percent (23 - for - 83) over the previous five contests, Thursday's result was a particularly welcome sight for George and the Pacers. C.J. Miles shook off an ailing back to support George's effort with 19 points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal. George Hill followed with a 15 - point, six - rebound, three - assist night that also included a block. Lavoy Allen continued to thrive in his starting opportunities in place of the ailing Ian Mahinmi, collecting 14 points and supplementing the scoring with four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Monta Ellis poured in 13 points and dished out seven assists, while Rodney Stuckey and Myles Turner led the reserves with a pair of eight - point efforts. The Pacers fell to 18 - 14 and currently reside in third place in the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They remain home to face the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
["TeamStat(G,'Pacers') has 14 Number of team assists ,has 116 Percentage of 3 points ,has 39 Percentage of field goals ,has 35 Losses ,has 18 Total points ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Bucks') has 18 Number of team assists ,has 43 Percentage of 3 points ,has 58 Percentage of field goals ,has 21 Losses ,has 120 Total points ,has 30 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 13 Points in 4th quarter ."]