It was the Milwaukee Bucks who prevailed on December 13 when they last battled the Indiana Pacers, 140-126. It was an important win for the Bucks, who exacted some revenge on Indiana following their 128-119 loss to the Pacers the week prior in the semi-final of the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Despite already avenging that loss, it is clear that their IST elimination against the Pacers still weighs heavily on the minds of the Bucks — something that we should all witness on Monday night when these two teams face each other again.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Malik Beasley Wants Some Revenge
According to Bucks shooting guard Malik Beasley, he’s very much looking forward to Monday’s showdown. Not only are the Pacers a Central Division rival, but Beasley admitted that he still wants some payback for their semi-final loss to Indiana:
“Definitely circled these games,” Beasley said. “They’re in our division. Also, with the In-Season Tournament, they knocked us out, so we’re a little competitive about that. We wanna get that lick back. We’re gonna do whatever we can to win at home and just keep our streak going, keep our momentum going, and handle our business.”
We also can’t forget about the fact that these two teams nearly had an all-out brawl in their last meeting after Giannis Antetokounmpo charged the Pacers locker room to try and retrieve the game ball. You can be sure that this will also be on the minds of the players on both sides come Monday night.
Playoff Atmosphere
It is also worth noting that the Bucks and the Pacers take to the court twice in the span of three days. After their New Year’s Day showdown at the Fiserv Forum, these two teams will then head on over to Indiana for a rematch on Wednesday night.
This only makes the rivalry all the more enticing.
“We wanted to win that In-Season Tournament for our young guys and also us,” he said. “The game’s a little heated right now. It’s kinda like a playoff game, especially with the back-to-back games against them. It’s like a mini-series.”
For what it’s worth, the Pacers are up 2-1 against the Bucks this season. Milwaukee will obviously want to correct that in these two upcoming games.
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