The 20-29 Bucks will host the 13-38 Pacers tonight. It’s been a tough season for both of these teams, with the Pacers experiencing life sans-Tyrese Haliburton and the Bucks dealing with their star player with seemingly one foot out of the door.
For the Bucks, they’ll be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cole Anthony, and Amir Coffey. Bobby Portis is listed as Questionable. For the Pacers, they’ll get Andrew Nembhard back after a one game absence. Both Isaiah Jackson and Bennedict Mathurin have been dealt out before the trade deadline.
The Bucks are currently –118 favorites on the Moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the point total set to 222.5. Below, I’ll break down tonight’s matchup and offer my prediction.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers preview, prediction
The Bucks are a mess right now. On one hand, they have Giannis talking about trying to drag the team back into contention once he returns, but on the other hand, there are reports about Milwaukee trying to shut him down for the season. Nobody knows what’s going on. What we do know, however, is that the Bucks are 24th in DEFRTG and 23rd in OFFRTG this season, ranking in the bottom third of the league on both ends of the floor thus far, which is obviously disastrous for a team with a player as good as Antetokounmpo is. The superstar center has been out of the rotation for lengthy periods, to be fair, but you have to raise an eyebrow when Antetokounmpo mentions trying to make this team contend this season. But things have been looking a little better lately, with Ryan Rollins’ ascension into a starting caliber point guard marking an improvement for this team’s future. Myles Turner has also looked more like himself lately, , increasing both his activity in the scoring column as well as on the defensive end lately.
The Pacers are also not looking good, as they are currently sitting at the absolute bottom of the East with a putrid 3-20 Away record. They’re clearly going nowhere this season, even despite the individual play of Andrew Nembhard and Pascal Siakam, who are both having good seasons. Unfortunately their individual production hasn’t translated into any wins, with the Pacers sitting dead last in OFFRTG and 20th in DEFRTG. Last season their offense ranked in the top ten, so it’s clear that Haliburton is instrumental to this team’s offense. Nembhard, even though he’s averaging a career-high 17.3 PPG and 7.5 APG, is unable to push this team’s offense into any respectable territory, even with the help of Pascal Siakam, who is averaging 23.8 PPG this season.
Bucks vs. Pacers pick, best bet
Best bet: IND Pacers Over 111.5 Team Total Points
Both teams are directionless, but I’m backing the Pacers to cover this 111.5-point mark due to the Bucks’ lackluster defense, especially as of late. The Bucks have recently conceded 137 points to the Pelicans, 115 to the Bulls, 107 to the Celtics, 109 to the Wizards, and 139 to the 76ers. The Bucks’ OPPG in their last 20 games is 112.9, a hair over tonight’s line.
