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The Indiana Pacers look to even their season series with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at the Fiserv Forum.
The Pacers beat the Bucks last February 12 with Victor Oladipo playing. The All-Star guard scored 13 points to help Indiana defeat Milwaukee 118-111 at Hoosier State. Oladipo missed the first two games of their season series and the Bucks won those games. Oladipo is questionable for Wednesday night after missing their last game with a sore right knee. The Pacers head to this contest with a four-game winning streak while the Bucks are coming off a road loss at the hands of the Miami Heat.
Four-Game Winning Streak
Indiana will bring a four-game winning streak to the finale of their season series against Milwaukee. The Bucks won the first two meetings of the season but the Pacers won the most recent one last February 12, 2020. Indiana heads to this game after defeating the San Antonio Spurs 116-111 on Monday night.
Malcolm Brogdon scored 26 points, 6 rebounds, and seven assists to lead the Pacers against the Spurs. T.J. Warren added 23 points on 3-6 three-point shooting while Domantas Sabonis had another double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Holiday and Doug McDermott combined for 25 points off the Pacers’ bench.
The Pacers are 21st in scoring at 109.4 points per game this season. They are 26th in rebounding at 42.8 boards pulled down per contest and are 5th overall in passing at 26.1 assists per game. Indiana has the 7th best scoring defense in the league at 107.2 points per game allowed.
Heat Shut Down Giannis
The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a road defeat against the Miami Heat in their last game played. The Heat shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo and held the reigning MVP to a season-low 13 points on 6-18 shooting although he grabbed 15 rebounds. The Bucks also scored a season-low 89 points as they suffered their sixth loss away from the Fiserv Forum.
Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 21 points and 6 rebounds. Khris Middleton also had a rough shooting night, going 4-16 from the field while finishing with 12 points. Eric Bledsoe took just five shots and scored seven points. George Hill and Donte DiVincenzo helped out with 12 and 11 points respectively, off the bench.
Milwaukee is the top-scoring team in the NBA at 119.1 points per game this season. They also lead the league in rebounding at 52.1 boards grabbed per contest and are 7th in passing at 26.1 assists per game this season. The Bucks are third overall in scoring defense at 106.8 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
Indiana is 6-1 SU in their last seven games played. The Pacers are 3-1 SU in their last four games played on the road, and 4-1 SU in their last five games against the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee is also 6-1 SU in their last 7 games played. The Bucks are 3-0 SU in their last three games played at home, and 16-2 SU in their last 18 games played against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Bucks are 4-1 SU in their last five games played against the Pacers.
The Pacers have won four out of their last five games played and they are chasing home-court advantage in the postseason. Indiana is currently on a five-game road trip and Wednesday’s game is the third game of that stretch. Oladipo missed the last game with an ankle injury and he is questionable for this game.
Milwaukee suffered a road loss at the hands of the Miami Heat, losing by 16 points in South Beach. They are 27-3 SU at home this season and have been mauling teams at their home floor. Giannis Antetokounmpo is having another MVP season and the players around him have consistently contributed.
The Bucks are the best team in the regular season and they are coming off a crushing loss to the Heat. Knowing Giannis and the Bucks, they will want to bounce back right away and continue with their dominant run. Indiana could miss Oladipo again and the Bucks are at home where they have been almost unbeatable this season.
Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks
Other Bets to Make
Indiana is 4-5-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Pacers are 2-1-1 ATS in their last four games played on the road. Milwaukee is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games played. The Bucks are 5-0 ATS in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Bucks are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played against the Pacers. Milwaukee is also 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games against Indiana.
Pacers
+11 (-114)
Bucks
-11 (-106)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 03/04/20
Milwaukee is a beast at home where they are outscoring their opponents by close to 13 points per game this season. They have also been terrific coming off a loss at 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games after a straight-up loss of more than 10 points. Indiana is starting to play to its potentials. However, the Bucks have been the best team in the regular season this year and they are coming off a defeat. I think the Bucks bounce back big on Wednesday night. I’ll lay the points here for Milwaukee.
Prediction: Bucks -11
The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Pacers. The over is 5-2 in Indiana’s last seven games played on the road. The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Bucks. The under is 6-3 in Milwaukee’s last nine games played in March. Head to head, the total has gone under in eight out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
Over
222 (-110)
Under
222 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 03/04/20
These teams have combined to score an average of 205.2 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 206.67 points per game in their most recent three encounters. These are two teams that play good defense and although Milwaukee is the top-scoring team in the league this season, the defenses are too good for this to be a high-scoring affair. I like these teams to play to the under.
Prediction: Over 222
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