MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gary Trent Jr. got hot from deep, Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated in the paint and together they gave the Milwaukee Bucks new life in their first-round playoff series.
Trent tied a franchise playoff record with nine 3-pointers and scored 37 points, Antetokounmpo also had 37 and the Bucks used a big second half to beat Indiana 117-101 on Friday night and cut the Pacers’ series lead to 2-1.
“My mindset was just to come in and get a win,” said Trent, who got a rare start and had his highest playoff scoring output.
Trent also was assigned to cover Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was held in check for most of the game.
“I was trying to be all over him to start the game,” Trent said. “Let him know you’re there and try to take him out of his game.”
Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Trent’s aggressiveness earned him a start.
“There were two reasons. The offensive part because he’s really aggressive and the defensive part because of his hands,” Rivers said. “We wanted somebody aggressive to attack Haliburton. I thought he did that.”
The Pacers led 57-47 at halftime, but Trent hit three 3-pointers early in the third to pull the Bucks even at 62. The Bucks grabbed a 72-69 lead on Antetokounmpo’s three-point play and led 86-75 at the end of the quarter.
The lead grew to as many as 20 in the fourth and Trent finished 9 for 12 behind the arc to tie Hall of Famer Ray Allen’s mark for most 3-pointers in a postseason game. The Bucks outscored the Pacers 70-44 in the second half.
Antetokounmpo added 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, which hosts Game 4 on Sunday. A.J. Green scored 12 points and Bobby Portis had 10 for the Bucks, who took on the Pacers for the 18th time in the past two seasons.
“We have to stay humble,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s just one game.”
Indiana had won five of the last six playoff games between the teams and ousted the Bucks from the playoffs in the opening round last season.
“We were bad on both sides of the ball,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “They were great, we were bad.”
Pascal Siakam had 28 points and Aaron Nesmith scored 18 for the Pacers. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 14 points and 10 assists.
After trailing throughout Game 2, the Bucks grabbed an early lead. Antetokounmpo and Trent combined to score Milwaukee’s first 21 points. No other Bucks player scored until Green sank a 3-pointer with 2:28 left in the opening quarter.
Milwaukee shot 4 for 23 from 3-point range over the first two quarters but was 11 for 18 after halftime.
Bucks star guard Damian Lillard was held to seven points on 2-of-12 shooting. He made just 1-of-8 3-pointers.
