The 2023 NBA in-season tournament has come and gone, and it was a massive success for the NBA and the top players. Now the attention shifts back to the regular season and the Indiana Pacers visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night for an Eastern Conference battle.
Indiana is coming into this game with a record of 13-8 on the season, and they are now sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers have won four of their last five games, and were in the championship of the in-season tournament.
Milwaukee is coming into this game with a record of 16-7 and the Bucks are currently sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks have won three of their last four games and they are heating up at the right time.
The Milwaukee Bucks are 5.5-point betting favorites over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Pacers Can Shoot the Ball
The Indiana Pacers made a shocking run to the in-season tournament championship game, but it wasn’t shocking when looking at the shooting numbers. Indiana is making nearly 15 three-point shots per game this season, and they shoot nearly 40 percent.
Point guard Tyrese Haliburton has emerged as a massive star for this team as he is averaging 26.3 points and 12.3 assists per game. Haliburton has shown the ability to take over a game, but he’s also great at using his teammates.
While it has been fun to watch the Pacers on offense this season, at some point they are going to have to defend. Indiana tends to give up too many points, especially to teams with some size.
Bucks Will Be Physical
The Milwaukee Bucks are averaging 122.6 points per game this season, and they aren’t used to facing a better offense than them. Milwaukee actually has better shooting numbers than the Pacers, but this team also wants to dominate the paint.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the team with 30.6 points pet game this season, and Damian Lillard has chipped in with 25 points per game. It is a nightmare trying to defend those two stars as they can score in so many ways.
Milwaukee doesn’t want to get into a shootout with the Pacers, even though this team can win with that style. Look for the Bucks to be physical on both ends of the floor in an attempt to wear them down.
Bucks Blow Out the Pacers
Fatigue is going to catch up to this Pacers team at some point as they have just played in so many emotional games. Indiana has the offense to score with anyone in the league, but there are some major concerns on defense this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo just continues to do whatever he wants on the basketball court, and he should be dominant in this game. Milwaukee is also going to be able to get some stops against Haliburton to slow down the Pacers.
Look for this game to be close for a half, but ultimately the Bucks win this battle to cover the small spread.
