Indiana Pacers Vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Predictions, Starting Lineups (12/13/23)

After suffering an unlikely defeat in the semi-finals of the In-Season Tournament, the Milwaukee Bucks will look to exact revenge on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. Check out our Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks prediction, betting picks, and a full game breakdown below!

Indiana Pacers Vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction

Grab your popcorn, NBA fans; we have a thrilling matchup between two fast-paced teams (first and fifth in pace) who recently went toe-to-toe in the In-Season Tournament semi-finals.

If you’re reading this, you probably already know that Tyrese Haliburton hit a step-back three-pointer towards the end of the fourth quarter of that game that all but sealed it for the Pacers; he then pointed to his wrist, similar to what Damian Lillard does when he announces that it’s “Dame Time.”

So, can Lillard, Giannis, and the Bucks get revenge after a tough loss in the In-Season Tournament semi-finals?

The Bucks are one of the best home teams in the NBA (11-1, not counting their loss on a neutral court in Las Vegas) and have won ten consecutive games at Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee has shot 50% from the floor and 39% from deep during that stretch, too.

Even though the Bucks have already lost twice to this Indiana team this season, they have a few favorable matchups, including Giannis against the Pacers’ frontcourt defense. Indiana is allowing the most field goal attempts inside of eight feet this season and Antetokounmpo’s 73.3% shooting from the field this season in that range spells trouble for the Bucks (courtesy of our own Braxton Reynolds for this stat.)

Sure, Haliburton will “get his” against a Bucks backcourt that features two below-average point-of-attack defenders (Lillard and Malik Beasley); however, it will take a lot more than Haliburton scoring to knock off the Bucks at home, especially considering that the Pacers’ have a defensive rating of 128.7 when they are on the road. Yikes.

Indiana Pacers Vs. Milwaukee Bucks Prediction: Bucks -6

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Indiana Pacers Vs. Milwaukee Bucks Best Odds

Milwaukee is a sizable 6.5-point home favorite (-108) against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. The Pacers have +205 Moneyline odds to win for the second time this month against Milwaukee, while the Bucks are -250 to add another win to the win column. The point total rests at a monstrous 258.5 points, which points towards a high-octane game with abundant scoring.

Indiana Pacers Starting Lineup

PG: Tyrese Haliburton
SG: Bruce Brown
SF: Buddy Hield
PF: Obi Toppin
C: Myles Turner

Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup

PG: Damian Lillard
SG: Malik Beasley
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Brook Lopez

Indiana Pacers Vs Milwaukee Bucks Injuries

Indiana will be missing two rotation pieces but no starters, as Jalen Smith (heel) and Andrew Nembhard (knee) have already been listed as out for tonight’s matchup. Meanwhile, the Bucks will be without Chris Livington (ankle), Pat Connaughton (ankle), and Jae Crowder (abdominal tear) once again. Connaughton should return soon, but Crowder will more than likely be out until at least late January.

Indiana Pacers Vs. Milwaukee Bucks Betting Picks

It has been another MVP-caliber season thus far for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis has been more efficient this season from the field (61.7%) than he ever has been and is still posting outrageous stats (30.6 ppg, 10.7 rpg), despite Damian Lillard’s arrival.

Antetokounmpo has played particularly well against the Indiana Pacers throughout his career and, recently, has been nothing short of unstoppable. The Pacers are allowing the second-most points to opposing power forwards, partially due to their pace but also because Obi Toppin is an extremely poor defender for his position. Giannis has taken advantage of these matchups against this Pacers frontcourt repeatedly.

As a matter of fact, Giannis has scored 40 or more points in three of his past six games against Indiana, including two games where he scored 50+ points. It’s not just the points but the efficiency that makes us confident in his output; he has shot 69% from the field in that span, proving that Indiana cannot defend him adequately.

Due to the pace of play (Pacers are first in pace), Milwaukee will have more possessions, and Giannis will have more chances to score, both in the half-court and in transition.

Our Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo To Score 40+ Points (+180)