Bucks back Turner with win after ex-Pacer booed

INDIANAPOLIS -- Myles Turner was disheartened to be met with boos in his return to Indiana but the Milwaukee Bucks had the last word with a 117-115 victory on a buzzer beating jump shot from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

After the shot, Antetokounmpo gave those same Pacers fans a thumbs down before shushing them as he walked off the court.

The Pacers played a tribute video for Turner on the scoreboard before the start of the game, which was met with resounding boos from the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse from the moment it hit the screen.

"It was disheartening, man. It was frustrating," Turner said after the game. "You give 10 years of your life, your blood, your sweat, your tears, you take pay cuts, you survive trade rumors. You try to do everything the right way and then sometimes stuff shakes out. It is cool. I take it on the chin."

Yet, Antetokounmpo said it was important for his new Bucks teammates to win this game for Turner.

"He might not say it, but it kind of hurt," said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 33 points 13 rebounds and five assists. "But we are here to pick him up, tell him how much we love him and respect him. We understand how much he gave for the team, for Indiana and how much he's willing to give for Milwaukee. He's a great, great person, great character, a great competitor. I played against him for 10 years. I think he gave everything."

Turner added: "The guys told me a couple days ago before this even started, 'We got you. We got you'." There's obviously a big rivalry between these two teams and I wasn't the only reason they wanted to win the game, but a big reason."

As the crowd booed through his tribute video, Turner began to lean into his newfound role as villain. He gestured as if to close a book and gave the crowd a halfhearted and sarcastic wave at the end of the video.

Then when the game started, Turner said he channeled the boos into energy in the first quarter. He scored seven points, knocking down two 3-pointers -- booing the crowd back after one of them -- and blocked four shots in the opening period alone.

"It woke me up," said Turner, who finished with nine points and five blocks. "If anything, you have to channel that energy, that negative energy turned into a positive. I know what it is every time I come back here to Gainbridge."

But the boo's continued beyond the tribute video.

Every time Turner touched the ball, the crowd responded with their displeasure. They cheered when he committed an offensive foul or turnover. The scoreboard showed graphics comparing Turner to Isaiah Jackson, the team's new starting center, who scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, producing more than Turner in both categories.

"I was really disappointed tonight," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the game. "This guy gives you 10 years... I want to make something clear. Myles wasn't looking to leave. Myles was made available. It's a big difference."

Turner spent 10 seasons with the Pacers before signing a four-year, $107 million deal with the Bucks as an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He said after shootaround Monday morning that he felt like he had the rug pulled from under him because Indiana did not make him a contract offer comparable to what Milwaukee was offering.

Meanwhile, the Pacers have insisted they never got a chance to match Milwaukee's offer to Turner before he walked in free agency.

"Let's talk about value, go where you're valued," Turner said Monday morning. "The front office and the ownership valued me in Milwaukee more than ownership and front office valued me here in Indiana."

After the game ended, Turner stuck around on the court and embraced a few of his teammates, including Aaron Nesmith, Bennedict Mathurin and Jackson, who called Turner "a big brother" after the game.

"Before the game, I went back to the locker room, said, what's up?" Turner said.

"When I was here, I've had the same strength coach, same medical staff, same equipment managers since my rookie year. So, I wanted to make sure I went back there and showed love to all my people, all my guys in the organization. Regardless of how the fan feels, I think I took care of all the people that took care of me."