Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers Prediction: Heavyweight Bucks take on lightweight Pacers

The NBA Regular Season is in its final stages and the picture for most parts is getting murkier than clearer especially when it comes to the West where the race from the fourth-tenth spot is as intense as it gets. However, for some teams, things are already looking clear and they have established themselves at the top. One of those squads, the Milwaukee Bucks is going to take on the Indiana Pacers.

The Bucks enter the affair after defeating the Suns 116:104 as rim-raider Giannis Antetokounmpo stacked up 36 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. This was the second straight win for the spectacular squad and they have now won 21 of their last 23 matches. They are the first team to hit 50 wins and have merely lost 19 matches, emerging as one of the top contenders to win the championship.

Giannis has become a prime candidate for the MVP and continues to solidify his position as the best player this decade. The current unit for the Bucks has now gelled for three seasons and the lineup of Holiday, Middleton, Allen, Portis, Lopez, Connaughton, Carter, and many other role players has formed a superb two-way balance. The Bucks are in quest for their second title in three seasons.

The Pacers come into this contest after losing 97:117 despite a 20 points performance by Jordan Nwora. They have won six of their last ten games but the preceding periods weren’t so kind to them and they had three losing streaks in the range of 4-7 games. Because of that, they are placed at 38 losses and 31 wins. The Pacers still have a chance to nab the tenth spot and enter the Play-in tournament but a tough stretch ahead can dent their progress.

The injury to Tyrese Haliburton who has had multiple 20+ points and 10+ assists games has derailed their season. The team’s frontline hasn’t been solid all season long and that has also deterred them for most parts. AJ Nembhard has looked like a promising pick-up in a mold not that different from pass-first Guard Haliburton. The Pacers need to shore up their Wing and Big-Forward positions to improve their chances in the coming seasons. The Guard positions look set as of now.

• Bucks: OUT: Grayson Allen. QUESTIONABLE: Goran Dragic, Brook Lopez. PROBABLE: Jae Crowder;
• Pacers: OUT: Kendall Brown, Benedict Mathurin, Chris Duarte. QUESTIONABLE: TJ McConnell, Buddy Hield, Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Giannis Antetokounmpo(32+ Points), Tyrese Haliburton(22+ Points)- QUES;
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Giannis Antetokounmpo(11+ Rebounds), Isaiah Jackson(8+ ebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Tyrese Haliburton(10+ Assists)- QUES, Giannis Antetokounmpo(6+ Assists).

The Bucks have been the most unstoppable squad for more than a month now and their play is only becoming more intimidating as the Playoffs are nearing. The same can’t be said about the Pacers, a team that is hanging by a thread towards the Play-in contention and is in for a nerve-wracking stretch. That’s why it is obvious that the Bucks are the favorites. I predict a scoreline of 130:110 in favor of Milwaukee.