Milwaukee Bucks were playing a tough back-to-back, three games in four nights scenario. They faced off against Indiana at home with a fired-up holiday Fiserv Forum crowd. This would be the return of Malcolm Brogdon to Milwaukee. I wrote about that today as well if you’re curious. Indiana came in winning their last five games including wins against Los Angeles and Boston yet Milwaukee has had their number for the last two years. It stayed that way on Sunday night. Bucks pulverized the Pacers in the second half with a dominating 117-89 victory. Giannis nearly had another triple-double as Bucks win their 26th game of the season.

Player of the Game: Giannis Antetokounmpo – What a night for the reigning MVP. He finished with 18 points, 19 rebounds, and nine assists in a dominating performance. Antetokounmpo is a bad matchup for the Pacers. They have a weird combination of big men that are either too small and too slow (Domantas Sabonis) or not physical enough (Myles Turner) to hang with Giannis. He owns the Pacers and continued that trend last night. Antetokounmpo is likely on his way to another Player of the Month.

Honorable Mention: George Hill – What a night for the Indianapolis native. George Hill had another great game off the bench with 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Hill made three 3-pointers as well. Hill continues to be a valued player off the Bucks bench. There is a case to be made for the 6th Man of the Year recognition for Hill. He is the leader of the Bucks’ second unit and part of the reason why they’ve been so successful.

One Thing I Liked: Bucks somehow got stronger in the second half – when a team plays a back-to-back, we see them usually come out strong in the first half then fade in the second half. This happened last night with Charlotte Hornets and the Los Angeles Clippers. Both started strong then lost the game with poor fourth quarters. That didn’t happen with the Bucks. Instead, the inverse happened. Milwaukee had a poor first half then a dominating second half. You typically do not see that. Bucks might be superheroes.

Next up: Milwaukee gets a few nights off before a holiday showdown in Philadelphia to play the 76ers for the first time this season. All eyes will be on the Bucks as they kick off ABC’s Christmas coverage. It is a must-watch game. Sixers have not been at the same level as Milwaukee all season. It is very tough to win their arena and their fans will be gassed up for this one. I’m very excited for the Simmons-Giannis rivalry to begin again.

Charlie.