The Eastern Conference will have an NBA In-Season Tournament finalist by the end of the night, as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Indiana Pacers with a trip to the final on the line.
Milwaukee dominated the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, shooting 60.5 percent from 3 – but can it keep that up against the Pacers? Indiana showed that it wants the In-Season Tournament title badly by defeating the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
This is going to be a fun matchup from a scoring perspective, as these teams are No. 1 and No. 3 in offensive rating and No. 1 and No. 5 in pace.
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Pacers vs. Bucks odds, spread and total
Pacers vs. Bucks how to watch
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 7
- Game Time: 5:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: T-Mobile Arena
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN
- Pacers Record: 11-8
- Bucks Record: 15-6
Pacers vs. Bucks injury reports
Pacers injury report
- Kendall Brown – questionable
- Jalen Smith – out
- Oscar Tshiebwe – questionable
- Isaiah Wong – questionable
Bucks injury report
- Jae Crowder – out
- Pat Connaughton – out
Pacers vs. Bucks key players to watch
Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton: Haliburton looks like an All-NBA caliber player this season, and he had 26 points and 13 dimes in the Pacers’ win over Boston in the quarterfinals. Hali is on a tear in his last six games, posting 33.2 points, 12.3 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 46.5 percent from 3.
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo: The two-time MVP finally finds his stride playing alongside Damian Lillard. It didn’t take long, but the Bucks are humming, winning eight of their last 10 games. Giannis is averaging 30.9 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game over that stretch.
Pacers vs. Bucks prediction and pick
Since Nov. 13, the Bucks have nine wins by six or more points, one win by just three points and two losses.
These two squads matched up on Nov. 9, with the Pacers winning by two points – 126-124 – but Damian Lillard missed that game for the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 54 points in that matchup, and he could be in line for another big game tonight. Indiana ranks just 28th in the NBA in defensive rating, and the team has struggled defending the paint, allowing a league-high 62.6 points in the paint per game.
I do think this will be a hotly-contested game with so much on the line, but the Bucks are starting to gel as of late.
In their last 10 games, the Bucks are No. 2 in offense, No. 13 in defense, and No. 2 in net rating (behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder).
I think the Bucks win this matchup comfortably, even though the Paces have the offense to keep up.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.