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The Milwaukee Bucks look to get back on track when they host the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. The Bucks still have the best record in the NBA but they’ve lost their last two games while the Pacers look to secure third place in the Eastern Conference.
Thursday, March 7 at 8:00 PM ET
Fiserv Forum
Coverage: TNT
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by Jazz Sports
- Indiana Pacers at Milwaukee Bucks (-10 at -110)
- Over/Under: 222.5 at -110
Recent Takeaways
The Pacers are coming off a 105-96 home win against the Bulls last Tuesday. Bojan Bogdanovic led the way with 27 points, Darren Collison had 22 and they combined for eight points during a decisive 10-0 run that gave Indiana a 95-86 lead with 3:58 to play. Bogdanovic has scored at least 20 points in five consecutive games and he can be a difference-maker in Milwaukee.
Losing Victor Oladipo (season-ending knee injury) and Domantas Sabonis (missed the last four games with a sprained left ankle) hasn’t slowed the Pacers down and everyone is stepping up, making them very tough to beat. Myles Turner finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks against the Bulls, Thaddeus Young added 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and Wesley Matthews scored 10 points.
The Bucks had won seven straight games, including a 106-97 win in Indiana on February 13, before suffering back-to-back road losses against the Jazz and Suns. Milwaukee blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead in Monday’s 114-105 setback in Phoenix, getting outscored 38-23 in those last 12 minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 13 rebounds against the Suns and Malcolm Brogdon scored 19 points but the Bucks shot just 36.8 percent from the field (35-for-95) and 28.6 percent from 3-point range (12-for-42).
Pacers vs. Bucks Trends and Prediction
The Indiana Pacers are:
- 8-1 ATS in their last nine games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game
- 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game
The Milwaukee Bucks are:
- 1-5 ATS in their last six home games
The Milwaukee Bucks lead the season series with the Indiana Pacers 2-1, they beat them 118-101 in Milwaukee on October 19 and 106-97 in Indiana on February 13 while the Pacers won 113-97 at home on December 12. The Pacers outrebounded the Bucks 54-43 in that game while limiting them to just 11 of 43 from beyond the arc. A dominant effort in the paint from Young and Turner and solid 3-point defense are a must in order to keep up with Milwaukee tonight.
The player to watch in this game for the Bucks is Khris Middleton, he’s averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three games against the Pacers this season but he scored just six points on 1 of 13 shooting (1 of 7 from beyond the arc) against the Suns.
The Bucks need Middleton’s scoring against this tough Pacers team and I believe they will come out fired up at home, looking to end their two-game losing streak but I like Indiana to put up a fight and keep this contest close.
Pick: Pacers +10
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