INDIANAPOLIS -- Guard Khris Middleton is heating up, and that certainly is good news for the Milwaukee Bucks.

After scoring a career-best 36 points in a Tuesday night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Middleton came back Thursday night with a game-high 33 points, including two clinching free throws with 6.4 seconds remaining, and Milwaukee held on for a 120-116 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Center Greg Monroe added 23 points for the Bucks (13-21), who lost to the Pacers by 37 points in November in Bankers Life.

Milwaukee, which entered this game leading the NBA in points per game in the paint (48.2) now is getting much needed perimeter scoring help from Middleton, who was 12 of 18 from the field, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, against the Pacers. Middleton was averaging 15.8 points coming into Thursday's action.

"We wanted to play with pace, high energy and get stops, and then run out," Middleton said of what led to another big night for him. "We're a better team when we are pushing the ball and getting easy baskets.

"We wanted to push the pace the whole game. It's a good win, a big win. We got a win on the road."

Interim Milwaukee coach Joe Prunty especially liked his team's offense.

"For the majority of the game, I liked what I saw," Prunty said. "Every night, we have to show up like this. We have to battle and play the game the right way. This is very good win for us against a very good team."

Indiana (18-14), which closed within two points before Middleton's big free throws, trailed by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter, losing for a second consecutive night.

Forward Paul George had 31 points for the Pacers, forward C.J. Miles added 19, guard George Hill scored 15, forward Lavoy Allen contributed 14 and guard Monta Ellis scored 13, although he was guilty of eight turnovers.

"We finally started playing with some defensive intensity in the fourth quarter, which got us back in the game, but it was too late," said Miles, who made 5 of 10 attempts from 3-point range.

Milwaukee shot 58.4 percent from the field (45 of 77) and Indiana shot 50 percent (41 of 82).

"We had good looks the whole game, but we didn't make enough of them," George Hill said. "We had a quick turnaround after playing an overtime game Wednesday night in Chicago, but that is just part of the game."

The Bucks had lost 14 of 15 road games before beating the Pacers. Indiana played without center Ian Mahinmi (sore left knee) and Jordan Hill (dental work).

"Our slow start tonight included a bit of everything, but that is not an excuse," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "We were out of sync offensively all night until the very end when we tried a couple of different lineups just to change the game.

"We tried to get something going, but to be able to really do that, we had to do a better job during the first three quarters."

Milwaukee opened the fourth quarter on a 7-4 run to lead 96-81 with 8:41 to play. The Bucks continued to pull away, leading 111-95 with 4:41 remaining.

After taking a brief two-point lead, Indiana watched as Milwaukee finished the third quarter on a 28-14 run to grab an 89-77 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Through 36 minutes, the Bucks were shooting 61 percent from the field (36 of 59), including a combined 18 of 23 from Middleton and Monroe.

Indiana got 3-pointers from Hill and Miles early in the third quarter to pull within 61-60 with 9:26 left in the period. George's 3-pointer gave the Pacers a brief 63-61 lead, but the Bucks countered with a 7-0 run that included a Middleton 3-pointer and a Monroe layup for a 68-63 advantage with 7:36 remaining in the quarter.

Getting 17 points from Monroe, 13 from Middleton and 11 from forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks led by as many as 13 during the first half and enjoyed a 59-52 advantage through 24 minutes.

Milwaukee shot 59 percent from the floor through the first two quarters (23 of 39), including a combined 12 of 15 from Monroe and Middleton.

Indiana got 12 points from Allen and 10 from Miles in the opening half but shot only 46.3 percent from the field (19 of 41) and turned the ball over 13 times, including five by guard Monta Ellis.

Allen and George were a combined 9 of 11 from the field, but their teammates were only 10 of 30. The Pacers outrebounded the Bucks 19-16 through the first 24 minutes.

Indiana's usually dominant bench outscored Milwaukee's only 13-9 during the first half, but the Bucks enjoyed a 30-18 advantage in points in the paint.

NOTES: Milwaukee was without F Damien Inglis (sore right ankle) and G Greivis Vasquez (post right ankle surgery). ... Indiana was playing the second of a back-to-back after dropping a 102-100 overtime decision on Wednesday night in Chicago. ... The Bucks entered 3-15 on the road and the Pacers came in 11-4 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Before playing the Bucks on Thursday, the Pacers were 13-5 against Eastern Conference teams, including 9-0 at home. ... Beginning with a Dec. 3 loss at Portland, the Pacers were 6-8 before playing Milwaukee. ... The Bucks are seventh in the NBA in field goal percentage (45.6). The Pacers are third in opponents turnovers per game (16.9). ... Before Thursday night, Indiana had beaten Milwaukee in eight of the nine most-recent meetings in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... The teams split four games last season, each winning once on the other's court.