Milwaukee Bucks win first game of season, beat Indiana Pacers, 110-102

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Milwaukee Bucks win first game of season, beat Indiana Pacers, 110-102

Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mon, October 26, 2026 at 8:53 PM UTC ·

10 min read

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The Milwaukee Bucks won their first game of the season and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 110-102 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 26 at Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee used a strong fourth-quarter performance to clinch the victory, which was a welcome turn from the previous three games in which the Bucks had leads but ultimately could not close out.

"I think it starts on the defensive end, being in our shifts, helping each other, covering for each other, one guy goes to help, next guy covers for him, next guy covers him and just continuing to rotate – I thought we did that well tonight down the stretch," Bucks guard Tyler Herro said.

"I think it started last game in Philly [on Oct. 24] and it carried over to tonight. That's what we're looking for, just continuing to build, continue to get better every single day, every single game, every single practice and that's what we're doing."

Box score | Buck schedule

The Bucks (1-3) turned up the intensity in the final 12 minutes, limiting the Pacers (2-2) to just 17 points thanks to Myles Turner blocking two shots and affecting several others and forcing five turnovers on defense. Offensively, the Bucks hustled for seven offensive rebounds, which led to 13 second-chance points in the quarter.

"That was our message going into the fourth, is just winning those margins and having a tight defensive shell," Turner said. "I think that's one thing that's going to carry over our last past couple of games is finding ways to be tighter there, cover for each other, cover the paint and were able to have that impact in the fourth quarter."

Herro scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Bucks, who also got a double-double from Kel'El Ware (16 points, 14 rebounds) off the bench. Ryan Rollins added 19 points while Kyle Kuzma had 17.

Oshkosh native Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and nine assists for Indiana, and Pascal Siakam added 20 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

Oct 26, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro (11) looks for a teammate to pass the ball against Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) in the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Rookie Nate Ament gets another look for Bucks

Forward Ousmane Dieng, 23, was effectively Kyle Kuzma's sub at power forward in the first two games of the season, with the 6-foot-9 forward logging 21 minutes at Washington on Oct. 21 and 16 minutes against Chicago on Oct. 23. He was just 3-for-9 from the floor overall and 1-for-5 from behind the arc for eight points in both games and pulled down five rebounds and four assists.

Dieng then did not play against Philadelphia on Oct. 24, with 6-10 rookie Nate Ament getting the call off the bench at power forward. The 19-year-old played 11 minutes and was called for five fouls.

Against the Pacers, Ament checked in early again for the Bucks, but after he went 0-for-3 from the field with one foul in five minutes, Dieng checked in for two minutes late in the first half. Ament had a rough go offensively in his first stint, but in the second half he was Jenkins' choice again.

Like Philadelphia all-NBA forward Jaylen Brown, Indiana's all-NBA power forward Pascal Siakam went right at Ament but the rookie held his own. Ament then converted his first shots as a pro, knocking down a 3-pointer and running the floor well to slam home two more following a Brayden Burries steal.

"Felt good, felt good," Ament said of his first official baskets. "They celebrated me, my vets and my teammates, so I felt good."

Ament looked considerably more confident in the second half and he remained on the floor for close to seven minutes of game play in the fourth quarter. He was subbed out with 5:25 to go in the game and the Bucks up 101-92.

"I felt like Nate had a great second half," Bucks head coach Taylor Jenkins said. "Just his willingness to put his body out there, fight and push position on defense, come over, use his length just to alter shots, run the floor. He missed his shots in the first half, shot that big one confidently. The kid puts in the work."

Ament finished the game with seven points on 3-of-8 shooting to go with three rebounds. Milwaukee was plus-12 during his 13 minutes on the court.

"Yeah, I mean, I really don't know," he said of what changed in his game from his few minutes to the next. "I think the more you're watching the game and the more you feel the game the more you can adjust and change throughout the game, so I guess that's part of it. But also the work's been the work. I've put a ton of work in and our coaching staff and everyone's been harping on me to do the little things and I've been trying to do that and I think that's just a culmination of all the work and what the coaching staff has taught me."

Bucks starters key third-quarter rally

Through the first three games, the starting group of Ryan Rollins, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner would begin the second half and, about halfway through the third quarter, Taylor Jenkins would start subbing in for them.

Against Indiana, however, Jenkins elected to stick with the starters for a significant chunk of time: 7 minutes, 29 seconds. At that point, the group had erased an 11-point halftime deficit and tied the game 73-73. That pushed back the subs until about the 2-minute mark, when Jaquez was the last to get a breather.

The bench unit kept it close, with Indiana taking an 85-84 lead into the fourth. The starters began to rotate back in early in the fourth when the reserves had built a six-point lead, and they helped withstand a Pacers rally to close out the win.

Bucks free throw woes continue

The Bucks offense had been one of the more prolific in the league, ranking in the top 10 in points per game, offensive rebounding and 3-point shooting entering the game against the Pacers. But, they were second-to-last in free throw shooting at 29th at 70.1%.

Against Indiana, the Bucks once again did not take full advantage at the free throw line, going 15-for-21 (71.4%). That included Tyler Herro and Ryan Rollins, two of the teams smoothest jump shooters, going a combined 4 for 8 in the fourth quarter.

It's not something Jenkins was overly concerned about but there isn't much he can do about that part of the game on a coaching level.

"They're beating themselves up, but I just tell 'em to keep your head up," he said after the team missed 12 free throws in a seven-point loss to Chicago on Oct. 21. "We just gotta keep working on this stuff. I see 'em put the work in every single day."

While no team makes all of its free throws − Charlotte entered play on Oct. 26 No. 1 in the league at 88.5% − the Bucks are a team that must exceed on the margins, and converting as many free points as possible is one of those margins. Milwaukee entered the game against Indiana having missed 23 free throw attempts while being outscored by 30 in its first three games.

"Just gotta make 'em," Bucks guard AJ Green said with a knowing smile at shootaround before the Pacers game. "Just find a way to make 'em. We practice 'em. Just gotta make 'em in games. I mean, the good thing is we're getting there, you know? Keep getting there, keep getting to the line, just gotta make 'em."

But it's not just the missed chance at a point or two that hurts the Bucks when they miss from the free-throw line, a miss on a second (or third) attempt creates a transition opportunity for the opponent. And for a Bucks team that is the worst in the NBA in scoring defense, they could use every advantage on that end.

"One hundred percent, yeah, 100%," Green allowed. "Any time you can stop a play where you can get set, it tends to help defensively."

5 numbers

1:Wins on the season, and for Taylor Jenkins as head coach.

4:Blocks for Bucks center Myles Turner, his second game with at least two.

3:Points Nate Ament scored on his first career basket, a 26-footer set up by AJ Green in the third quarter that gave the Bucks a brief 84-82 lead. Ament had begun his career 0-for-6 from the field.

4:Straight DNP-CD for Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. Before the game, Jenkins was asked again about the 27-year-old not cracking the rotation to date.

Jenkins: "The rotational conversations are very front of mind for me every single day. Not trying to overreact or underreact. But, Gary's been great. He and I have had honest conversations about where things are at, at the start of the season. He's been the ultimate pro, he's in all the play groups, his voice is being heard in practice and the film rooms. He's still contributing. He's super engaged right now. His opportunity will come soon, just don't know when. I'm just making sure he's staying ready just like his leadership can show up for the other guys that are out of the rotation, too. That could be on the offensive side with his elite shooting ability, how he moves off the ball within our system, he's grasping that. And then just his care factor defensively; just being a disruptor on the ball but just him continuing to get better with his off-ball responsibilities, which our entire team is trying to work on right now."

6:46:Consecutive minutes from the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter that Bucks rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament spent on the court together. In that time the Bucks flipped a 3-point deficit to a 6-point lead.

Will the Bucks vs. Pacers rivalry add a new chapter?

Milwaukee vs. Indiana had become one of the league's spiciest rivalries since the 2023-24 season, when Oshkosh native and Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton used the "Dame Time" celebration late in a Pacers' NBA Cup victory over Damian Lillard and the Bucks. That rivalry got even more heated, with flagrant fouls, ejections, postgame melees, intense playoff matchups, taunts, inappropriate fan interactions and public address announcers mispronouncing player names.

The Bucks added some fuel to the matchup last season when they signed Myles Turner away from the Pacers, and then Giannis Antetokounmpo hit a buzzer-beater in Turner's homecoming Nov. 3 that may or may not have included an incendiary celebration of his own. The Pacers were also the last team Antetokounmpo played against as a member of the Bucks on March 15.

The rivalry between the organizations has even translated to the baseball diamond, when Haliburton said the Milwaukee Brewers rescinded an offer to throw out a ceremonial pitch in 2025.

Then, before a Sept. 3 game between the Brewers and Chicago Cubs, the North Siders had Haliburton throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field.

Bucks guard fined by NBA for flopping

First-year Bucks guard Kasparas Jakučionis was fined twice by the NBA for flopping, as the league reviewed two plays involving the 20-year-old on Oct. 23 vs. Chicago and Oct. 24 vs. Philadelphia.

Jakučionis was assessed a $2,000 fine for each incident.

While announcing the second fine, the NBA added that reviewing potential flopping calls are a point of emphasis.

Here is the play Jakučionis was fined for against Chicago:

More: Flopping foul vs. Chicago

Here is the play he was fined for against Philadelphia:

More: Flopping foul vs. Philadelphia