MILWAUKEE -- More often than not this season, the third quarter has been an absolute nightmare for the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Friday, however, it marked a turning point as the Bucks recovered from a sluggish first half and extended their winning streak to a season-high five games with a 99-85 victory over the Indiana Pacers at the Bradley Center.

"The guys have played from behind, they've had a bad quarter or started off slowly but nobody quit (tonight)," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "Everybody kept playing, executing the game plan and again, everybody pitched in."

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored eight of his 21 points in the quarter as Milwaukee knocked down nine of 16 shots and went 10-for-11 from the free throw line to turn a five-point halftime deficit into a 74-68 lead heading into the fourth.

Free throws were a big factor for the Bucks. While they went to the line 11 times in the quarter, Indiana made just three trips -- with nothing to show for it -- and made more (26) free throws than the Pacers attempted (22) for the game.

Combine that with a 51.6 percent performance from the floor, the Bucks were hard to stop on the offensive end.

"It's good when you can do both," Kidd said.

While the Pacers' outscored the Bucks in the paint, 44-42, and out-rebounded the Bucks, 36-34, Milwaukee's defense made things difficult on Indiana's perimeter shooters, who went 2-for-18 from beyond the arc.

The Pacers shot 44.6 percent for the game as Paul George went 5-for-14 with an 0-for-5 showing from beyond the arc.

"They played a zone and they trapped," George said. "They played a scrappy game. It plays into their strengths, being longhand athletic. It comes down to guys needing to tighten up and make plays offensively."

George led Indiana with 18 points and Jeff Teague added 17 but the Pacers gave up 22 points on 20 turnovers.

"You can't turn the ball over that much and expect to give yourself a chance to win," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said.

Playing without Malcolm Brogdon (back), Mirza Teletovic (hamstring) and Michael Beasley (knee), the Bucks' short bench came up big.

Greg Monroe scored 18 and grabbed seven rebounds and John Henson scored eight while blocking four shots in his first action since March 1.

"Tonight was a perfect example of being ready when your number is called," Kidd said. "He gave us a big spark in the second then in the third, he was big defensively and being able to finish up around the basket."

The Pistons got off to a good start, jumping out to a 10-0 lead just two minutes into the game.

Greg Monroe scored eight in the opening quarter as Milwaukee recovered and closed to within four, but George scored nine in the second to send the Pacers into halftime up, 50-45.

Middleton put the Bucks ahead on a 3-pointer with 8:35 left in the third as the Bucks went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line while hitting 9-of-16 shots from the floor to take a 74-68 lead into the fourth.

Milwaukee went up 14 -- its biggest lead of the game -- on a Middleton 3-pointer with two minutes left to make it a 97-83 game.

"It feels good to win five in a row," Middleton said. "We've got to stay hungry, keep competing, keep playing hard and keep pushing."

The victory, combined with losses by Chicago and Miami, moved Milwaukee into eighth place in the East, good for the last conference playoff spot. It also put the Bucks within 1 1/2 games of the No. 6 seed, currently held by Indiana.

NOTES: Milwaukee was without PG Malcolm Brogdon (back soreness) and F Mirza Teletovic (strained hamstring) while F Michael Beasley missed his sixth game since hyperextending his left knee. ... With Brogdon out, Matthew Dellavedova moved back into the Bucks' starting lineup for the first time since Feb. 27. ... Friday marked the first game in a five-game stretch for Pacers against teams chasing them for playoff position. ... Indiana has not won consecutive games since its seven-game winning streak was snapped Feb. 6. ... The Bucks have held their last four opponents to under 100 points, their longest stretch of the season. ... The Pacers have dropped three in a row to Milwaukee this season, losing by an average of 16.0 points per game.