The Milwaukee Bucks are returning home hoping to get back on track after losing consecutive games for the first time all season. Playing at home has been great to the Bucks this season, posting a 25-5 record in Milwaukee. The Pacers will come to town on Thursday night, and Indiana continues to win games despite missing their leader.
Milwaukee comes into this game with the best record in the NBA at 48-16. The recent two-game losing streak has dropped Milwaukee’s lead in the Eastern Conference to just two games over the Toronto Raptors. The Pacers find themselves in third place in the Eastern Conference but have a lot of teams chasing them. Indiana brings a 42-23 record into this contest. Milwaukee is -10.0 over Indiana on Thursday night.
Bucks Adding Gasol For Stretch Run
The Milwaukee Bucks continue to improve their roster, bringing in center Pau Gasol for the remainder of the regular season. Gasol failed to score in just five minutes of action in his first Bucks game but is averaging 17.1 points and 9.2 rebounds for his career. The Bucks have a ton of weapons offensively and are averaging 117.3 points per game. Scoring on the Pacers is a challenge, but the Bucks usually pass all tests.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, “The Greek Freak,” continues to put up monster numbers en route to a likely Most Valuable Player Award this season. Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks with 27.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game and is also a stud on the defensive end of the floor. All-Star forward Khris Middleton and point guard Malcolm Brogdon have combined to chip in more than 33 points per game. The Bucks have enough talent to win the Eastern Conference.
Defense Carrying Pacers Team
No one will confuse the Pacers with being a great offensive team, but their defense might be the best in the NBA. The Pacers are allowing just 103.7 points per game this season, which is the best defensive scoring defense in the league. Center Myles Turner anchors the Pacers defense and leads the NBA with 2.9 blocks per game. Trying to defend the high-scoring Milwaukee Bucks will be a huge test for the Pacers defense.
The Pacers offense took a big hit earlier this season, when it lost leading scorer, Victor Oladipo, to injury. Oladipo was leading the Pacers with 18.8 points per game, and the Pacers are just averaging 108.7 points per contest. Bojan Bogdanovic is now the main scoring threat for Indy, and he is averaging close to 17.7 points per game. Indiana is shooting close to 38 percent from the three-point line this season, and they will need to make shots in this game.
Bucks Bounce Back With Win
The Milwaukee Bucks have not had any long losing streaks this season, and they won’t have one in this game. The Bucks are almost impossible to beat at home, and their offense will prove to be too much for the Pacers defense. Indiana just doesn’t score enough points to keep up with Milwaukee, and the Bucks will cruise to victory. Bet the Milwaukee Bucks -10.0 over the Indiana Pacers.
