MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers gave two reasons for inserting forward Gary Trent Jr. into the starting lineup ahead of Game 3 on Friday night -- he wanted someone who could challenge Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, on both sides of the ball.

But neither Rivers nor the Bucks could have imagined how much that lineup swap would pay dividends.

Trent scored 37 points, a playoff career high, and knocked down nine 3-pointers, matching Ray Allen for the most 3's in a playoff game in Bucks history to lead Milwaukee to a 117-101 victory.

"It's really a blessing, a testament to my hard work and everything that I put into it," Trent said. "A big fan of Ray Allen as a kid, I watched him accomplish great things as a Buck, as a Celtic, just followed his whole career, the way he shot the basketball. So, to be in that group, your name near him as a shooter, it's a great thing for me. It's a testament to just keep going and keep going."

Indiana leads the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday night in Milwaukee. The Bucks avoided falling behind even further in this first-round series thanks to Trent providing some much-needed offense next to Giannis Antetokounmpo, who also finished with 37 points on 14-of-19 shooting with 12 rebounds and six assists. Antetokounmpo and Trent became the first Bucks duo to each score at least 35 points in a playoff game, according to ESPN Research.

"It's almost like a fulfilling feeling," Trent said. "I put in a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of hours. I sacrifice a lot of things going into this. But again, the cream always rises to the top and continue to keep working and it should showcase itself when the opportunity presents itself."

Trent's performance helped power the Bucks during a critical third quarter, when the team rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to outscore the Pacers by 21 points, Milwaukee's largest differential in a playoff quarter since the 2021 Eastern Conference finals.

Trent knocked down five 3's during the quarter and scored 18 points, while his defense helped contribute to the Bucks holding the Pacers to 18 points in the quarter.

"We didn't get enough stops," said Haliburton, who finished with 14 points and 10 assists. "It starts with me. I got to be better. ... That third quarter really came back to bite us."

Trent moved into the starting lineup in place of Taurean Prince, who had started 73 games this season, in a rare lineup switch from Rivers. The Bucks also made a few changes to their rotation, using Prince (three minutes), Brook Lopez (15 minutes) and Kyle Kuzma (20 minutes) much less than in previous games while increasing the playing time for Trent, Bobby Portis and AJ Green, the latter of whom went 4-for-8 from 3.

Trent's offensive output was much-needed, especially as the rest of the team struggled to find a rhythm for much of the game. Damian Lillard, in his second game back in a month after recovering from a blood clot, went 2-of-12 from the field for seven points but made some key contributions on the defensive end with two steals and two blocks.

"I've played in enough playoff games where I understand that it's just about finding a way to win," Lillard said. "After having so much time off, sometimes your rhythm and your timing, things can feel good, but it's a work in progress and it's just a mental battle. You got to keep finding a way however you could impact the game."

After the win, Antetokounmpo urged the team to "be humble in victory." He recognized that the effort in Game 3, especially defensively, would be necessary for Game 4 if the Bucks wanted to extend this series further.

"They're not going away," Rivers said about the Pacers. "They're going to play the same way and we got to come back and bring it again. We just can't relent. We won one game."