Veteran coach Doc Rivers took over for Adrian Griffin in midseason. Yet Rivers was not as successful, posting an NBA betting mark of 17-19. Thus, the Bucks have plenty of doubters heading into the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Previously, Mike Budenholzer was fired after going 58-24 but losing in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. His rookie replacement, Griffin, went 30-13 but was fired because of Milwaukee’s lack of defense. The Milwaukee Bucks are playoff-bound for the eighth consecutive season. Still, Giannis Antetokounmpo has proven to be one of the most transformative athletes in history.
2024 NBA Playoffs First Round Series Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers
| Date and Time: | Tuesday, April 23, 2024, 8:30 PM ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI. |
| TV Coverage: | NBA TV |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacers | +1 -110 | 222 -110 | -105 |  |
| Bucks | -1 -110 | 222 -110 | -115 | |
| ||||
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Series Schedule
- Game 1: Sun., April 21 @ Milwaukee 109, Indiana 94
- Game 2: Tue., April 23 @ Milwaukee (8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV)
- Game 3: Fri., April 26 @ Indiana (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
- Game 4: Sun., April 28 @ Indiana (7 p.m. ET, TNT)
- Game 5: Tue., April 30 @ Milwaukee (TBD)*
- Game 6: Thu., May 2 @ Indiana (TBD)*
- Game 7: Sat., May 4 @ Milwaukee (TBD)*
*if necessary
Milwaukee Bucks Team Overview
The Milwaukee Bucks are 49-33 straight up, 35-46-1 against the spread, and 40-40-2 over/under the sportsbook total. Late on, Milwaukee has covered two out of their last eight games. While the Bucks have gone over the total in three of its previous five matchups. Milwaukee is 3rd in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Milwaukee is 15 games behind the Boston Celtics Eastern Conference playoff race.
Overall, Milwaukee has NBA metrics of 4th for scoring offense, 7th for field goal percentage, 11th for 3-point field goal percentage, 19th for free throw percentage, and 9th for offensive rebounding. Additionally, on defense, the Bucks have NBA metrics of 21st for scoring defense, 14th for field goal percentage permitted, 9th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 18th for defensive rebounding.
PF Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee with 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. Accordingly, Giannis is an 8-time All-Star and a 2-time NBA MVP. He was the 2021 NBA Finals MVP.
Indiana Pacers Team Overview
The Indiana Pacers are 47-35 straight up, 44-35-3 against the spread, and 42-40 over/under the NBA betting total. Late on, Indiana has covered five out of their last eight games. While the Pacers have gone over the total in six of its previous seven matchups. Indiana is 6th in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. In the Eastern Conference playoff race, Indiana is 17 games behind the Boston Celtics.
Indiana has NBA metrics of 1st for scoring offense, 1st for field goal percentage, 9th for 3-point field goal percentage, 13th for free throw percentage, and 28th for offensive rebounding. On defense, the Pacers have NBA metrics of 27th for scoring defense, 30th for field goal percentage permitted, 16th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 15th for defensive rebounding.
PF Pascal Siakam leads the Pacers with 21.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Siakam was a key contributor to the 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA championship team. He is a 2-time NBA All-Star. Siakam has averaged over 21.4 points per game in the past five seasons. Last year in the playoffs, Siakam averaged 22.8 points per game.
PF Tyrese Haliburton averages 20.1 points and 10.9 assists per game. Haliburton is a 2-time NBA All-Star.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers SBG Free Pick
Despite a mediocre regular season, the Buck are the better team with the best player on the court in this series.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers SBG Best Bet: Milwaukee Bucks.