Milwaukee Bucks did not have Giannis Antetokounmpo on Monday night. The Greek Freak missed the game with a knee sprain. Given all his celebrations on the sideline, it feels like it is more of a load management day than an injury that will keep him out several games. Milwaukee did not need the Greek Freak on Monday night. Milwaukee scored 48 points in the first quarter then finished the game with 140. They steamrolled Indiana for their seventh straight win and their 16th win in their last 17. Things are going well right now in Cream City.

THREE STARS
Jrue Holiday – The star of the night was Jrue Holiday. He played against his younger brother, Aaron, and he showed out. Holiday scored 28 points, handed out 14 assists, and grabbed five rebounds. It was the best night Holiday had as a Buck from a scoring perspective. He took over the opportunity to be the man out there with Giannis’ absence, and Holiday was feeling himself. He only missed four shots all game. This is a good reminder of what Holiday can do if asked to be the scorer.

TWO STARS
Khris Middleton – Even though Holiday was the star last night, Khris did his usual thing when Giannis doesn’t play. He scored 25 points, pulled down eight rebounds, and had six assists. That’s a really good night. He did not have the same sort of shooting percentage as Holiday but still an efficient day from the field. This game was never in doubt, but the Pacers started to creep back a little bit in the fourth quarter. One of the bigger shots in the game came from Middleton shutting the door on that idea with a corner three.

ONE STAR
PJ Tucker’s ankle – This sucked. Tucker hurt his ankle yesterday in his second game with Milwaukee. Injuries happen all the time. But I wished this did not happen to the guy Bucks traded for. The good news is it was a blowout, and Bucks probably felt that tucker should rest. Because the veteran was out there for second-half warmups. It’s not like he went to street clothes in the second half. It’s not a huge concern… yet.

Next up
Milwaukee gets ready for a matchup with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. This game could be a potential playoff matchup in the first round. Boston lost five of their last seven games. And they’re 8-15 away from home this season. This one sets up nicely for Milwaukee, although, we know Boston can be a pain.

Charlie.