NBA highlights on Dec. 13: Why defense matters if you want to win

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 140-126 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, getting revenge for the loss in the In-Season Tournament semifinals.

The Bucks' star duo, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, both reached a new cornerstone of their careers. Lillard drained his 2,451st triple in regular seasons and surpassed Kyle Korver to rank fifth on the NBA all-time 3-point field goal (FG) leaders list. Only Reggie Miller (2,560), James Harden (2,795), Ray Allen (2,973) and Stephen Curry (3,496) are ahead of him.

Antetokounmpo dropped a double-double of 64 points and 13 rebounds in Wednesday's game, reaching 60+ points for the first time in his career and becoming the first one in the Bucks' history to do so. He left to sit on the bench after getting the 58th point but then came back to the court as the Pacers' backup unit made a series of quick buckets to cut down the Bucks' lead.

Antetokounmpo got another six points, but his behavior upset the opponents, who took away the ball from the game after the competition ended. Then "a furious Antetokounmpo took off for the Pacers' locker room to attempt at retrieving the ball," according to Chris Haynes of TNT. In the end, the Bucks security retrieved the ball for Antetokounmpo.

One of the major reasons for Antetokounmpo to score so many points via only 28 FG attempts was the Pacers' defense, which was no better than an empty shell. All of the 20 shots he made were in the restricted area, including 14 layups and five dunks. He also went to the free throw line 32 times, matching the whole team of the Pacers by himself.

The Pacers allowed 124.8 points per game, the second-most of all 30 teams this season, and have the fourth-worst defensive rating of 119.9. They are one of the few teams that don't even try to slow Antetokounmpo down in the high post when he drives toward the rim like a bullet train. They beat the Bucks a week ago in spite of a defense like this because their offense was sharp.

However, the development was different on Wednesday night. First, the Pacers failed to knock down 14.7 triples at 38.2 percent as they usually did per game – instead, they went 11-for-36 behind the arc. Second, though the Bucks are no longer a top defensive side following the Lillard trade, they can still do well if they roll up their sleeves.

For example, Brook Lopez set a no-fly zone in the Bucks' paint with six blocks. He may be a defensive weak link in front of Tyrese Haliburton, but as long as Lopez stays next to the hoop, Myles Turner, Obi Toppin and Isiah Jackson always had to watch out for his help defense.

Haliburton was smart enough to read the Bucks' defense, and he intentionally increased his individual attack in the first half when the rest of the team kept missing open shots. Nonetheless, the biggest offensive highlight by Haliburton was in the second quarter, when he scored 13 points, that too during the break time of Antetokounmpo. In the second half, the "Greek Freak" often switched to guard Haliburton, who didn't earn much from any of those possessions.

Other games on Wednesday (away teams come first):

Philadelphia 76ers 129-111 Detroit Pistons

Joel Embiid shot 14-for-24 from the field to score 41 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Not only did he extend his scoring streak of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds to eight games, he also led his team to secure their fourth consecutive win.

The Pistons suffered their 21st loss in a row, matching their worst record, which was across two seasons between 1979 and 1981. The NBA's longest losing streak is 28 games by the 76ers between 2014 and 2016. The Pistons have eight more games to go in 2023 against the 76ers, the Bucks, the Utah Jazz, the Brooklyn Nets (twice), the Boston Celtics and the Toronto Raptors.

New Orleans Pelicans 142-122 Washington Wizards

The Pelicans had their second straight win as Brandon Ingram dominated Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., with 40 points. He made eight of his 13 jumpers within the 3-point line and knocked down 11 of the 12 free throws he earned. C.J. McCollum and Trey Murphy III provided the outside firepower by combining to shoot 10-for-13 there.

The Wizards saw their losing streak grow to six games. It doesn't look as bad as the Pistons' record, but the Wizards (3-20) have one more win than the Pistons (2-22) after all.

Charlotte Hornets 104-115 Miami Heat

Atlanta Hawks 128-135 Toronto Raptors

Memphis Grizzlies 104-117 Houston Rockets

Los Angeles Lakers 122-119 San Antonio Spurs

Brooklyn Nets 116-112 Phoenix Suns

New York Knicks 113-117 Utah Jazz