Pacers down Bucks to win 7th straight

Indianapolis, IN – Danny Granger scored 29 points, George Hill had 22 and the Pacers downed the Bucks, 118-109, on Thursday.

The Pacers, seeded third in the Eastern Conference, secured home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with their season-high seventh straight win.

David West added 21 points and 14 rebounds in the victory, Paul George scored 14 and Roy Hibbert finished with 12.

The Bucks, meanwhile, fell three games behind the 76ers for the East's eighth and final playoff spot. They have lost three straight and five of their last six games.

Brandon Jennings had 27 points in the setback while Mike Dunleavy added 23 and Luc Mbah a Moute finished with 16 and 11 rebounds.

Indiana was up 34-25 in the first when the Bucks reeled off a 15-0 run, which extended into the second quarter and gave them a 40-34 lead. But the Pacers answered with eight straight to pull within one and closed the quarter on an 8-0 spurt, capped by West's putback at the buzzer, to lead 56-50 at the break.

They opened the quarter with a 10-2 spurt to take a 66-52 lead. Later in the frame, Leandro Barbosa completed a four-point play, making a transition three and the subsequent free throw for an 86-71 advantage.

It was 89-78 entering the fourth, which was largely uneventful from a competition standpoint. The Pacers led throughout, but the Bucks' Larry Sanders created a stir by inciting a post-whistle exchange between the teams. After plowing through a Granger screen, Sanders began yelling at Hill.

Though no punches were thrown, the two had to be separated and Sanders appeared to poke Hill in the eye. He then directed his ire at Granger and was held back by teammates before eventually being ejected.

Game Notes

The Pacers won all three meetings between the teams this season, marking their first season-sweep of Milwaukee since the 2006-07 campaign...Sanders' ejection came with 3:29 remaining in the fourth quarter.