The Milwaukee Bucks are set to take on the visiting Indiana Pacers on Wednesday following an intense clash in the Las Vegas semifinals of the in-season tournament.

Both teams secured hard-fought victories on Monday, with Milwaukee requiring overtime to defeat the visiting Chicago Bulls 133-129. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the charge with 32 points, while Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley contributed 19 points each.

Notably, Khris Middleton excelled with 13 rebounds, surpassing Antetokounmpo by one.”Every time we sensed (the Bulls) were behind, they managed to claw their way back into the game,” remarked Bucks coach Adrian Griffin. “However, when we needed to halt them, we managed to do so.”Following their loss in the in-season tournament championship against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, Indiana triumphed over Detroit on the road with a score of 131-123 on Monday, marking the Pistons’ 20th consecutive defeat.

Bennedict Mathurin shouldered the scoring burden for Indiana, amassing 30 points off the bench along with eight assists. Myles Turner contributed 23 points and eight rebounds, and Tyrese Haliburton recorded 16 assists alongside his 14 points.

“This is one of the most challenging games you can face after the emotional rollercoaster of last week, the Saturday game, and the travel,” stated Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “I believe our players did exceptionally well in staying united, maintaining their composure, and displaying assertiveness.”

Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 30.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, respectively. Damian Lillard adds 25 points and seven assists per game, while Brook Lopez continues to lead the NBA with 2.8 blocks per game.In the case of Indiana, Haliburton records 26.3 points and leads the NBA with 12.3 assists per game (with Atlanta’s Trae Young as the closest competitor with 10.5 per game). Turner spearheads Indiana’s rebounding efforts with eight rebounds and slightly over two blocks per game.

In terms of offensive prowess, there are few matchups in the NBA that can rival this one. The Pacers and Bucks stand as the top two scoring teams in the league as of Monday, averaging 128.5 and 122.6 points per game, respectively. Additionally, Indiana leads the league in team assists per game (30.3) and field-goal percentage (51 percent), with the Bucks trailing closely behind in the latter category at 49.8 percent.

The tide has finally turned in the divisional rivalry as the Pacers have clinched victories in the first two encounters with Milwaukee this season, following the Bucks’ 10-game winning streak against Indiana being snapped last season.

The Pacers secured a 126-124 victory at home on Nov. 9, followed by a 128-119 triumph in Las Vegas on Dec. 7. Haliburton displayed star-like performance in the latter game, achieving 27 points while also tallying 15 assists. Turner contributed a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

By the conclusion of back-to-back games on Jan. 1 and 3, the teams will finalize their series for the season. If the Pacers secure a win on Wednesday, they have the opportunity to claim their first series victory over Milwaukee since the 2017-18 season.