The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers are having a strong start to their seasons, and are now set to clash. Will Tyrese Haliburton and the rest of his crew be able to stop Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo?

Catch this game live on Friday, November 10, 2023 at 8:00 AM, Manila time

Away: Milwaukee Bucks (5-2/1-1 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Damian Lillard
  • Malik Beasley
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo
  • Jae Crowder
  • Brook Lopez

Damian Lillard is fresh off a 34-point performance in a narrow win against the Detroit Pistons. Every point was necessary due to Giannis Antetokounmpo bizzarely being thrown out of the game after getting a second technical foul for celebrating a dunk that put the Bucks up 13 points.

You can bet that the Greek Freak will be baying for blood and looking to impose his will on the upcoming game against the Pacers, and they may have problems stopping a motivated Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 24.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.

The question that the Bucks will have to answer against the Pacers is if their bench can outperform their opponents. While the Pacers have seven players averaging at least 11.3 points per game, the Bucks only have four players averaging double digits in scoring, with Khris Middleton and Jae Crowder narrowly missing that mark. Middleton’s continued load management could still be a factor, too, as he’s still not getting consistent minutes.

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Home: Indiana Pacers (5-3/4-2 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Tyrese Haliburton
  • Benedict Mathurin
  • Bruce Brown
  • Obi Toppin
  • Myles Turner

The Pacers have won two in a row, including a 152-111 beatdown of the San Antonio Spurs and a 134-118 dismantling of the Utah Jazz. They’ve been led by Tyrese Haliburton, whose averages of 22.9 points and 11.9 assists show that he’s feeling strong after last season’s injury-plagued end.

He’s been getting plenty of help, especially from Myles Turner, who is putting up 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Indiana use a very deep rotation, with only Haliburton and Bruce Brown averaging more than 30 minutes per game. That should help keep them fresh against the Bucks, who rely heavily on their two stars for production.

Haliburton will be the key to the game, as Damian Lillard might have trouble stopping him. The big question is whether or not they’ll be able to slow down Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who are probably the league’s most dangerous one-two punch at the moment.

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: The Bucks (-3.5) cover the spread.

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