Johnson leads Pacers past Bucks

Peja Stojakovic recorded 20 points and seven rebounds for Indiana, which won for the fifth time in its last six games. Jeff Foster added seven points and 18 rebounds, while David Harrison scored 16 off the bench.

Michael Redd led the Bucks with 24 points. Bobby Simmons scored 19 points and Jamaal Magloire recorded 11 points and 15 rebounds for Milwaukee, which lost for the second time in its last three contests.

Hanging on to a two-point lead, 60-58, with time running out in the third, the Pacers closed out the stanza with a 7-0 burst that pushed the lead up to nine heading into the fourth. Johnson nailed a three-pointer in the waning moments of the quarter to cap the run.

Two Redd free throws brought the Bucks to within five at 71-66 with just under nine minutes to play, but a three-point play from Harrison swelled Indiana’s lead to eight.

Another Redd jumper had the Bucks within 76-70, but Stojakovic responded with a three-pointer, Harrison added a free throw, and Stojakovic threw down a dunk to halt any hope of a Milwaukee comeback.

Milwaukee used a full-court press early in the game, forcing three straight Pacers’ turnovers and igniting a 11-0 run that gave the Bucks a seven-point lead, 11-4, just three minutes into the first quarter. The spurt was capped by a Simmons field goal

Indiana immediately provided an answer, going on a 11-2 run over the next 4 1/2 minutes to give it a 15-13 lead with 4:30 left to play in the quarter. The charge was led by Johnson, who had seven points during the run and nine in the quarter. Milwaukee responded with a quick 6-0 run that lasted just over a minute. The Bucks held a two-point advantage, 25-23, heading into the second quarter.

Indiana used a 10-3 run early in the second to take a five point lead, 35-30, with less than seven minutes left to play before halftime. Danny Granger energized the Pacers, scoring half of the team’s points during that span.

The Bucks slowly cut away at the deficit, eventually taking the lead with less than two minutes left to play, 39-38, after two Andrew Bogut free throws. But a Stojakovic field goal with a minute left gave the Pacers the lead at the break, 40-39.

Game Notes

Bogut went 0-for-3 from the field, scoring only four points in the game from the free throw line...Granger finished the game with seven points and five rebounds...Scot Pollard started his sixth consecutive game for Indiana. He finished with two points and five rebounds in just over 23 minutes...Redd and Simmons were held scoreless in the second quarter...The Pacers head into the All-Star break with a 26-23 record, while Milwaukee is 27-25.