Giannis Antetokounmpo helps Bucks prevail over Pacers

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 10 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks held off the visiting Indiana Pacers 126-119 Saturday night.The win could prove crucial in NBA playoff tiebreakers. The teams entered the game tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee (38-28) won the season series over the Pacers (37-29), taking three of the four matchups.The win also moved the Bucks to 25-1 this season when they score 120 points or more.Damian Lillard had 25 points for the Bucks and was 6-for-12 from 3-point range. The Bucks went 25 of 26 from the free-throw line.Aaron Nesmith had a career-high 30 points for the Pacers and Pascal Siakam had 26.The Bucks never trailed after the first quarter and led by 13 with 3:48 left to play, but Antetokounmpo fouled out at the 2:46 mark and the Pacers went on a run, cutting the lead to four on a Siakam dunk with 19 seconds to go. Taurean Prince sealed it for the Bucks with four late free throws. Prince also had a career-high five steals to go with his 14 points.