On facing the Pacers, his former team, Bucks guard George Hill says: “I hope we beat them (by 20). The Pacers didn’t want me.”  Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Sweet-shooting Bucks backup point guard George Hill may be on one of the best teams in the NBA as he visits the Pacers, but he will always be an "Indianapolis boy" at heart, reports Indianapolis Star’s Dana Hunsinger Benbow.

An alum of Broad Ripple High and Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Hill has been a solid NBA player since being drafted in 2008. But there is no love lost for Hill in regard to the Pacers, who traded him in the 2016 offseason to the Jazz. 

“I hope we beat them (by 20),” Hill said. “The Pacers didn’t want me.” 

The 46-8 Bucks sure do. Hill is connecting on an astronomical 54.1 percent of his three-point attempts this season.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

  • Though Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo has been back on the court for seven games, he knows he has yet to reclaim his All-Star- caliber play, reports Royce Young of ESPN. “I missed a whole year of NBA basketball, not just basketball,” Oladipo said. “It’s the highest level of basketball. It’s different.” Oladipo is averaging 11.1 points, 2.9 assists in 25.0 minutes per game.
  • Oft-injured Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson is in the final season of his five-year, $80M contract, but the Pistons may not want to buy him out due to their limited options at his position, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
  • The slumping Bulls, losers of six straight and sporting a paltry 19-36 record entering play Thursday night, offer more intrigue over this season than meets the eye, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley notes that head coach Jim Boylen, several young prospects, and even Chicago’s front office decision-makers might be fighting for their future with the franchise over the home stretch.

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