Indiana Pacers Team Report - March 31

(Basketball News) - The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks play the second of a home-and-home set tonight at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Pacers are seven games ahead of the second-place Detroit Pistons in the Central Division and can clinch home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs with a win tonight.

This will be the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two squads. Milwaukee has won the three previous contests.

On Tuesday, the Bucks beat the Pacers, 95-86, at the Bradley Center. Jermaine O’Neal scored 20 points to lead the Pacers, who failed to clinch home court advantage with a win. Indiana will try again tonight to earn the No. 1 spot in the East. Kenny Anderson had 14 points and Al Harrington added 13 in a losing effort.

In Tuesday’s contest, The Bucks carried an eight-point lead into the fourth quarter. Indiana would get as close as four on several occasions, the last coming on a jumper by Anderson with 1:10 remaining that cut the Milwaukee lead to 90-86.

Toni Kukoc made 1-of-2 from the line with 36.1 seconds left to give the Bucks a 91-86 advantage. Indiana’s Ron Artest then missed from three-point range and Brevin Knight made a pair of free throws with 27.7 seconds left to seal the win for the Bucks.

Indiana, which is 7-2 in Wednesday games, is an impressive 29-7 at home.

The Bucks have won four straight in this series. Milwaukee has lost five of seven and 11 of its last 14 at Indiana.