The Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks meet again this Thursday, with the former looking to stay perfect this regular season versus the latter. Will the Pacers go 3-0 versus Giannis Antetokounmpo and company? Or, will the Bucks rise at home and hand Indiana a loss? 

Catch this game live on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 9 AM, Manila time

Away: Indiana Pacers (13-9/6-4 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

• Tyrese Haliburton
• Buddy Hield
• Bruce Brown
• Obi Toppin
• Myles Turner

Even though they failed in their mission to win the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament, the Pacers remain one of the most dangerous teams in the league right now. Tyrese Haliburton has a lot to do about it, as the former Iowa State Cyclones star is playing like a serious MVP contender. 

Haliburton is the best player of the best offense in the NBA to date. He is averaging 26.3 points and 12.3 assists per game while shooting 52.1 FG% and 44.3 3FG%. As a team, the Pacers rank first in the NBA in the following departments: points per game (127.6), effective FG% (58.1% ), fastbreak points per contest (17.5), points in the paint per outing (59.1), and adjusted offensive rating (119.3). The Bucks surely know all about that because they have been victimized twice this season by the Pacers, including in the semis of the IST during which Indiana shot nearly 50% from the floor. Indiana, which is coming off a 131-123 win on the road versus the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, is 3-1 against the spread in its last four trips to Milwaukee.

Home: Milwaukee Bucks (16-7/11-2 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

• Damian Lillard
• Malik Beasley
• Khris Middleton
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Brook Lopez

The Bucks recovered from their disappointing loss to the Pacers in the IST by outlasting the Chicago Bulls via a 133-129 overtime win at home on Tuesday. Giannis Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Malik Beasley and Brook Lopez each produced 19 points. 

Damian Lillard had a cold night, scoring only 14 points on 3/17 shooting from the floor, but seeing the Pacers could spark the future Hall of Famer point guard. Lillard surely hasn’t forgotten about the Dame Time celly of Haliburton in the IST semis, and Thursday is just the perfect time for revenge. Lillard hasn’t been shooting the ball well of late, going 10/37 in the last two Bucks games, but he can’t be ineffective for long. He could be due for a big outing when he sees Indiana again. For one, the Pacers still haven’t proven themselves on defense. Indiana is only  29th in the NBA with 124.7 points allowed per game and also second-worst with 118.8 points allowed per 100 possessions (adjusted).

PREDICTIONS:

Spread: The Bucks (-6.5) cover the spread.

Over/Under: The total (259.0) hits the Under.