As expected, it was Tyrese Haliburton who stole the show on Monday night as the Indiana Pacers dealt the Milwaukee Bucks a 122-113 loss at the Fiserv Forum. However, it was a total team effort from the Pacers, which also saw T.J. McConnel step it up in crunch time to help lead Indiana to victory.
Khris Middleton Reacts to T.J. McConnel’s Heroics Vs. Milwaukee Bucks
McConnell isn’t exactly a star for the Pacers but on Monday night, he played like he was. The 31-year-old veteran finished with 25 points (just one point behind Haliburton’s game-high 26) on 5-of-9 shooting, to go along with four rebounds, nine assists, a steal, and zero turnovers in 22 minutes of play.
McConnell’s strong play prompted some praise from Bucks star Khris Middleton, who also rued his team’s inability to respond to McConnell and Haliburton’s heroics down the stretch:
“T.J. did a great job of getting into his spots and orchestrating the offense,” Bucks Middleton said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He’s been doing that for a while in that bench unit. Getting to his spots, getting the other guys involved. The main thing is we couldn’t get those guys out the paint, (Tyrese) Haliburton and T.J., in that fourth quarter.”
McConnell could get more playing than he’s been accustomed to this season (he’s averaging 15.1 minutes off the bench) when the Pacers host the Bucks on Wednesday. Both Bruce Brown and Andrew Nembhard have been listed as questionable to play with respective injuries, thereby potentially opening some playing time in the backcourt.
You can be sure, however, that the Bucks will be more prepared for another potential explosion from McConnell come Wednesday.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
