The Bucks offense
The Milwaukee Bucks will strut their way into Indiana holding an 8-3 record. They have won all but one of their seven games on November also scored over 120 points in five of those six wins.
The offense is running like well-oiled machine ever since head coach Mike Budenholzer took over and they wouldn’t relent proving it night and night out. They are currently first in scoring (120.3 PPG) and pace, and top four in threes (13.9) and fastbreak points per game (18.2).
Back-to-back MVPs for Giannis?
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s campaign for a second-straight MVP season is looking good, which should just keep on building now that co-All-Star, Khris Middleton, is out for weeks. He’s dropping video game numbers in his last five – 35.2 points, 15.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game on an efficient 59.2%-shooting.
Eric Bledsoe
The Bucks’ first team All-Defense point guard Eric Bledsoe is also heating up. He just logged a season-high 31 points in Friday’s win over the Chicago Bulls, and he’s now averaging 24 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists on 58.4%-shooting in his last five outings.
The Pacers are quite decent, but is it enough against the Bucks?
The Indiana Pacers have always been that under-the-radar playoff contender, and this year’s no different. For Sunday’s match-up, however, things will be harder than usual because they are on the second night of a back-to-back and they are taking on Giannis and the Bucks.
The first night’s challenge was also pretty rough. Despite having six guys score in double digits, they simply had no answer for the Houston Rockets and its superstar scorer, James Harden, who smoked their defense for 44 points and disrupted their offense with four steals.
Malcolm Brogdon (back) is questionable
The Pacers are enjoying an impressive run from their new point guard, Malcolm Brogdon, a former Milwaukee Buck. Unfortunately, though, he exited in the previous game with a sore back and is questionable to play Sunday.
The game could’ve been Brogdon’s revenge game since the Bucks shockingly let him go this past off-season after three solid years, which included winning the Rookie of the Year award in the 2016-17 campaign.
Should Brogdon play, he’ll be bringing a lot to the table. He’s posting 20.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game prior to getting hurt against the Rockets, all of which are career-bests.
Domantas Sabonis and TJ Warren
Sabonis and Warren will remain as the key weapons for the Pacers, especially the former, whose numbers (19.8 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 3.9 APG) is bordering an All-Star nod.
PREDICTION:
The Bucks win and capitalize on the Pacers’ tired legs.
