Pacers use 47-point 3rd quarter to beat Bucks 142-130 for 5th straight win

Tyrese Haliburton had 31 points and 12 assists and the Indiana Pacers pulled away with a 47-point third quarter, beating Milwaukee 142-130 on Wednesday night for their fifth straight victory and second over the Bucks in three days.

Bennedict Mathurin added 16 points for the Pacers. Indiana ended Milwaukee’s 15-game home winning streak Monday and is 4-1 against the Bucks this season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Milwaukee, falling just short of his fourth triple-double of the season. Damian Lillard added 23 points and five assists, and Khris Middleton overcame a sprained right wrist and a sore right knee to finish with 19 points and seven assists.

The Central Division foes have gotten awfully familiar, playing five times in 54 days — including the In-Season Tournament semifinal in Las Vegas. Four games have produced combined scoring totals of at least 247 points, and the series also became emotional and chippy. A dispute over a missing game ball led to a bizarre postgame scene in December when Antetokounmpo sprinted toward the Indiana locker room.

CAVALIERS 140, WIZARDS 101

Max Strus scored 24 points and Cleveland had its highest-scoring game of the season, routing Washington to open a two-game set.

Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points in 24 minutes to help Cleveland snapped a two-game losing streak. Caris LeVert added 21 points in 23 minutes, and Jarrett Allen had 17 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists. Kyle Kuzma scored 16 points for Washington.

The teams will meet again Friday night in Cleveland.