The Bucks secured a huge 111-94 win over a depleted Pacers squad in Indiana on Tuesday night. It was especially important with how much Milwaukee had been recently losing.

Milwaukee has won just four of its last 17 games, but its away record improves to 4-10 with the 17-point win. Bucks veteran Bobby Portis had 14 points and nine rebounds over 32 minutes of play. Portis has been on the Bucks since the 2020-21 season and has played through fluctuating results.

“It’s been up and down all year, so it feels good to win going into the holidays,” Portis said.

The Bucks shot 51% from the field and held the Pacers to 41% shooting overall and 26% from deep, a big piece of their win.

“We got great looks, great shot attempts, and on defense, we were helping each other by talking and rotating,” Portis said.

Kevin Porter Jr. had 24 points, three steals, and had an impressive performance on both ends of the floor. Porter Jr., along with Ryan Rollins, has had huge offensive contributions to the Bucks' offense this season.

With Porter Jr.’s 24 points and Rollins' 23, the Bucks have been relying on them for their scoring. 

“Guys came in and had a ton of energy tonight. Felt good to come in and get a win, especially in this hostile environment, over the years we struggled in,” Portis said. 

The Bucks are 47-62 on the road against the division rivals Pacers, all-time.

Although both teams are having rough seasons, with Antetokounmpo coming back, and the insurgence of scoring coming from Rollins and Porter Jr., the Bucks aren’t giving up on the season yet. 

“Everything that we worked on carried over to the game,” Portis said. “You want to see carryover, in a win or a loss, you want to keep trending in the right direction.”

The Bucks won the first three quarters and led by 18 entering the fourth quarter. A reverse of the usual trend this season of the Bucks trying to eliminate a huge deficit by the fourth.

“We’re normally the ones that are down, fighting back,” Portis said.

The Bucks went up 16 points last game against the Timberwolves and still ended up losing 100-103.

As Antetokounmpo nears his return and the 12-18 Bucks' remaining buyers, the maturation from Rollins and Porter Jr. has been key to staying afloat in the playoff race.

“Their growth has been great for our team, and it’s been cool to see them grow as the season has been progressing,” Portis said.

With Antetokounmpo out, the guard duo has dominated the scoring for Milwaukee.

With Porter Jr. averaging 20.4 points per game as the starting point guard and Rollins at 17.2, both are having career years in Milwaukee.

However, despite the 23-year-old Rollins increasing his scoring average from 6.2 to 17.2, he has been relegated to the bench by head coach Doc Rivers.

“Ryan was a good pro to come off the bench and accept that, especially when you're having a great season like he’s having,” Portis said.

Rollins may not be starting, but his new role has helped the Bucks compete and could even push him into early Sixth Man of the Year conversations.

The Bucks next play away at Memphis this Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST as they look to turn a win, into a streak.