Pacers at Bucks
A pair of teams vying for first place in the Central Division will square off Tuesday when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Indiana Pacers. Milwaukee and Indiana are sitting one-half game behind the division-leading Bulls following recent hot spells. The Pacers are seeking a season-high fourth consecutive win after reeling off three straight victories by double figures. Indiana is surrendering a league-low 90.4 points per game and have put the clamps on its last three opponents, allowing an average of 81 points.
Milwaukee had been on a tear but its season-best four-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with a 26-point drubbing at home by the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. The Bucks, despite a number of injuries, also turned up the defense during their four-game run by giving up an average of 88 points, but they fell behind by 20 points in the first half against the red-hot Clippers and never challenged thereafter. Starting guards Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings combined to shoot 7-for 27.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Wisconsin
ABOUT THE PACERS (13-11): Indiana has won seven of 10 overall to move two games above .500 for the first time this season. Guard George Hill had his worst offensive performance in a 14-point loss at Milwaukee last month, scoring three points on 1-for-10 shooting. He has been much steadier of late, recording his first double-double of the season and first career-triple double within the past five games. He is averaging 16.3 points over his last six games.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (12-10): Not much went right for Milwaukee against the Clippers with the exception of Marquis Daniels, who continues to be a surprising source of offensive production. Daniels scored a team-high 16 points, putting him in double figures for the fifth time in six games. He is averaging nearly six rebounds in his last five and has made eight straight starts. Daniels, who spent the last three seasons with Boston, averaged a career-high 13.6 points with Indiana in 2008-09.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Milwaukee's 99-85 victory over the Pacers on Nov. 14 snapped a string of five straight losses to Indiana.
2. Pacers C Roy Hibbert, who left Saturday's game with a thigh bruise, is expected to play Tuesday.
3. Bucks C Joel Przybilla will serve a one-game suspension for throwing a ball at a referee during Saturday's contest.