The Milwaukee Bucks take on the Indiana Pacers in a showdown between the East’s Central Division leaders on Wednesday at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana.
The Bucks and Pacers are currently 1 and 2 in the Central Division, respectively with less than two games separating them. The game also pits Indiana’s top scoring defense against the Bucks’ offense which leads the league in points scored per game.
The Milwaukee Bucks are the #1 team in the East’s Central Division. At 18-8, the Bucks are just two games behind the Toronto Raptors for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee enters this game on a two game winning streak and they are two games removed from a five point win over the Raptors.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks in four statistical categories. The Greek Freak is averaging 26.5 points, 13.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game to lead his team in all statistical departments. Khris Middleton is making 2.9 three pointers per game and scoring 17.7 points per game. Point guards Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon are averaging 15 points per game this season.
The Bucks are the top scoring team in the league this season at 118.9 points per game. Milwaukee is also 4th in the NBA in assists at 26.5 dimes per contest. On the defensive end, the Bucks are the top rebounding team in the NBA at 50.5 boards per contest. Milwaukee is ranked 11th in scoring defense at 109.1 points per game allowed.
The Indiana Pacers continue to play without their best player in Victor Oladipo who is still out with a knee injury. But despite playing without their main man, the Pacers have been just fine, going 7-4 without him. Entering this game, the Pacers have won four games in a row and they have won three in a row at home to move to 17-10 on the season, just 1.5 games behind the Bucks in the Central Division standings.
Victor Oladipo leads the Pacers with 21.4 points per game but has not played since November 17th due to a sore right knee. In his absence, Bojan Bogdanovic (16.6 PPG) and Domantas Sabonis (14.2 PPG) have inherited bulk of the scoring load. Sabonis also leads the team with 9.6 rebounds per game while Darren Collison is leading Indiana with 1.6 steals per game and Myles Turner is averaging 2.8 blocks per game.
The Pacers are 25th in the NBA in team scoring at just 106.1 points per game this season. Indiana is averaging 24.7 assists per game, making them the 11th best passing team in the league. The Pacers are the top defensive team in the NBA in terms of scoring defense as they allow their opponents to score just 101.4 points per game. Indiana’s 43.3 rebounds per game puts them at 23rd in rebounding.
The Bucks and Pacers have faced each other a total of 188 times during the regular season. Milwaukee leads Indiana 99-89 in their all-time head to head series. The Pacers have won four out of the last six meetings but Milwaukee won their most recent encounter 118-101, in Milwaukee last October 19th.
The Bucks are 17-8 SU in their last 25 games played and they are 5-10 SU in their last 15 games on the road. The Pacers are 4-1 SU in their last five games played and Indiana is 9-4 SU in their 13 home games played this season. Head to head, the Pacers are 4-2 SU in their last six meetings with the Bucks. Indiana is also 11-3 SU in their last 14 home games against Milwaukee.
Victor Oladipo has missed the last 11 games for Indiana but there’s some good news for the team and their fans. After it was determined that there are no structural issues with his sore right knee, ‘Dipo has began practicing in four on four workouts. The latest news from Indiana is that he is working to get himself back in condition and that a return is expected soon. Oladipo’s status has been upgraded to “day to day” but he will still most probably not play against the Bucks on Wednesday. Still, this news is good enough to give added confidence to the Pacers who have won four in a row heading to this game and are 7-4 without their All-Star guard.
As for Milwaukee, the Greek Freak sat out their last game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday with neck soreness. Although it’s not considered a serious injury, he is listed as “probable” and may miss the game. Antetokounmpo however told reporters after their win over the Cavs that his neck is fine. With how they’ve depended on Giannis, the Bucks would have a harder time winning without him than the Pacers winning without Oladip. I’ll take Giannis’ word that he’s fine so we’re picking the Milwaukee Bucks to beat the Indiana Pacers on 12/12/18.
Milwaukee is 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games played. The Bucks are also 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games on the road. Indiana is 13-13-1 ATS in 27 games played this season. The Pacers are 7-6 ATS in 13 home games played so far. Head to head, the Pacers are 4-2 ATS in their last six games overall versus the Bucks and also 4-2 ATS in their last six home games against Milwaukee.
Indiana is still without their top player while the Bucks are likely getting their top player back for this game. That alone makes a ton of difference. I think Indiana keeps this close with their team defense but the Bucks’ talent is going to pull them through with the outright win and to cover the small spread. Prediction: Bucks -2.5
The total has gone under in six out of the last seven games played by the Bucks. The over is 18-6 in the last 24 road games played by Milwaukee. The total has gone under in each of the last five games played by the Pacers. The under is 10-3 in the 13 home games played by Indiana this season. Head to head, the total has gone under in five out of the last six games between these two teams.
This is a game between offense against defense. The Bucks are the top scoring team in the league while the Pacers have the top rated scoring defense in the NBA. What gives here? The Pacers have dictated the tempo of their home games, the reason why the under is 10-3 in their home games this season. Whether Giannis plays or not I think this is going to be a defensive game. Prediction: Under 215.5
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