Indiana vs Milwaukee: The Pacers are favourites

For Malcolm Brogdon, the upcoming game against Milwaukee will be particularly crucial, as the Indiana point guard started his career with the Bucks. Will he help the Pacers pick up an important win?

After failing to make the playoffs, the Pacers strengthened themselves on the spot, and now they may very well be in contention for a top-6 spot. The biggest selling point, of course, is the new coach. Rick Carlisle is one of the most highly regarded in the league. Domantas Sabonis has improved from season to season, averaging 26 points through the start of the current regular season. Malcolm Brogdon is also looking good, while Chris Duarte’s debut has shown great promise. Meanwhile, Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren remain out, so Indiana still have a reserve to bolster their roster.

However, Rick Carlisle’s men have only won 1 game so far, and they lost their first two games by the narrowest of margins. In the game with Miami, the game went to overtime, and this time Indiana was stronger - 102-91. In extra time the Pacers were active on the court and threw away only one three-pointer per game. The team picked up a lot of fouls and their shot attempts from the paint as well. Overall, their shot percentage from beyond the arc sagged, and Brogdon failed to hit once in his seven attempts. Chris Duarte was Indiana’s highest scorer with 19 points on 6-of-21 from the field. Oshae Brissett was noteworthy among the role players, hitting 7 of 11 shots and scoring 18 points.

The Bucks rebounded from a difficult preseason and won 2 of 3 regular-season games, losing only to Miami (95-137). That’s not to say that the reigning champion has a deep rotation, and every loss in the lineup can have a big impact on the outcome. Bobby Portis and Donte DiVincenzo have not played so far, and Brook Lopez dropped out the day before. Portis is about to return to action. For now, his participation is in doubt. Jrue Holiday missed one game because of an ankle injury and is unlikely to play against Indiana.

Mike Budenholzer’s men beat San Antonio 122-111 away in their last regular-season game. The Bucks shot even fewer three-pointers than their opponent, but their efficiency was good: 15 of their 35 made three-pointers were successful. Jordan Nwora and Grayson Allen had fewer successes this time, but Pat Connaughton, George Hill, and Jrue Holiday had 3. Yannis Adetokunbo wasn’t as visible as usual but still had 21 points + 8 rebounds + 8 assists. On the downside, Milwaukee had 20 turnovers and struggled to win without Portis and Lopez.

Injuries have weakened Milwaukee, and it was in the game against Miami when Holiday was missing. The Bucks were particularly vulnerable. The team loses the ball frequently, and it is not certain that the Bucks will again have a high three-point percentage in Lopez’s absence. Indiana, on the other hand, could easily avoid defeat. They just needed to play more carefully at the end. Duarte, Sabonis, and Brogdon are in great form, and all three can improve upon their performance against Miami. The Pacers fought decently in their last encounter, even without half of their rotation players, and the home team can win now. I suggest betting on the following outcomes:

• Handicap 1 (+2.5) for 1.91;
• W1 for 2.10.