Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Bucks vs Pacers: Is it payback time for Milwaukee?
The Milwaukee Bucks will visit the Indiana Pacers at the Gatebridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday night in the hope of bouncing back after losing to the Pacers on the first day of the year.
The Bucks are targeting the top seed in the East
The Milwaukee Bucks are second in the Eastern Conference with a 24-9 record. They have won 8 of the last 10 games but are coming off a 122-113 loss to the Indiana Pacers at home. Giannis Antetokounmpo had an impressive night, recording a triple-double of 30 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists. The Greek Freak is fourth in the league, averaging 30.9 points per game, and sixth in the league with 11.3 rebounds per game and 60.6% shooting from the field. The Bucks are second in the NBA, averaging 124.6 points per game, and are also ranked second in field goal percentage with 49.9.
Are the Pacers back on winning track?
The Indiana Pacers are sixth in the Eastern Conference with an 18-14 record. Before Christmas, they lost 6 of 7 games but bounced back by winning the last four games. Tyrese Haliburton had another solid performance, recording 26 points and 11 assists in the last win against the Bucks. He leads the league in assists with 12.7 per game, and he also adds 24.7 points per game. The Pacers lead the league with 125.9 points per game, and they are also ranked first with 30.5 assists per game. The Pacers have the best field goal percentage with 50.2 and are third in the league with 37.9% shooting from downtown.
Betting Trends
The Bucks have gone over in 11 of their last 16 games, in 6 of the last 7 games played in Indiana and in 6 of the last 7 games played on Wednesday.
Player to watch
Myles Turner is one of the reasons why the Indiana Pacers played so well in the last week. The Pacers center is averaging 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. He scored at least 24 points in 3 of the last 5 games for the Pacers and shot at least 55% in each of those five games.
Injury Reports
Jae Crowder is out for the Bucks while Bruce Brown is out for the Pacers.
Prediction and Conclusion
This is a matchup between the two top-scoring teams in the league. The Bucks are the better team, but the Pacers handed them only their fourth home loss a couple of days ago. Milwaukee has lost consecutive games only once this season, and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be fired up to make things even against the Pacers. That won’t be easy at all since Indiana has won the last four games. The total point line is set at high 256.5 points for this game, which is expected since both teams score a lot. That will be the case in this game as well, with high-tempo basketball and a total that will go over the given line.
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