Giannis Antetokounmpo has 54 but Bucks lose as coach tossed - ESPN

INDIANAPOLIS — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored an NBA season-high 54 points but committed two turnovers after Tyrese Haliburton's go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:29 left, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 126-124 on Thursday night.

Haliburton had 29 points and 10 assists and Bennedict Mathurin added 26 points and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who blew an 18-point lead and then had to rally from 10 down in the fourth quarter.

Antetokounmpo finished one point shy of his career high but threw away a pass with 1:03 left and was then stripped by Mathurin with 30 seconds to go, both with the Bucks trailing 122-121. He was 19-for-25 from the field, 16-of-18 on free throws and grabbed 12 rebounds, but also had eight turnovers.

The Bucks were without their first-year head coach for much of the second half as Adrian Griffin was ejected with 7:52 remaining in the third quarter. He was the recipient of a double technical foul immediately following Antetokounmpo's dunk in traffic. A night earlier, after Antetokounmpo was ejected in a 120-118 win over Detroit, Griffin had promised to be more vocal with officials regarding hits on his superstar.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is the fifth player in NBA history to lose a game with 50 points on 75% shooting. He's the only one to also have 10 rebounds in the outing.

Playing without All-Star Damian Lillard, sidelined by calf soreness, Milwaukee received a breathtaking performance from Antetokounmpo, who was three points shy of Michael Redd's franchise record. Khris Middleton, who had 19 points and made a 3 at the final buzzer, missed a 3 that would have tied the game with 7 seconds left.

With 8.4 seconds to go and Indiana clinging to a one-point lead, Mathurin connected on two free throws to