The Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks meet in Game 5 of a best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 1st-round series Tuesday. The Pacers lead the series 3-1. Tip-off from Fiserv Forum is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Pacers vs. Bucks odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
The Pacers covered as 10.5-point home favorites with a 126-113 win in Game 4 Sunday as the Over (215) hit.
The Bucks went into Game 4 with a brutal injury report, missing G Damian Lillard (Achilles) and F Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf). But on top of that, F Bobby Portis got tangled up with Pacers G Andrew Nembhard and was ejected in the middle of the 1st quarter. That left just 2 Bucks regular-season starters to keep with with this Pacers team.
The Bucks offense was still able to keep things relatively close, shooting 51.1% from the floor, but their defense was a liability. The Pacers shot 51.2% from beyond the arc, which proved to be the difference in the 13-point win.
The Pacers won the regular-season series 4-1.
Pacers at Bucks odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:04 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Pacers -175 (bet $175 to win $100) | Bucks +145 (bet $100 to win $145)
- Against the spread (ATS): Pacers -4.5 (-105) | Bucks +4.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 216.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Pacers at Bucks key injuries
Pacers
- G Tyrese Haliburton (back) questionable
- G Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) out
Bucks
- F Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) doubtful
- G Patrick Beverly (oblique) probable
- G Damian Lillard (Achilles) doubtful
- F Khris Middleton (ankle) probable
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
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Pacers at Bucks picks and predictions
Prediction
Bucks 105, Pacers 99
Moneyline
Yes, Milwaukee is banged up, but you still have to remember that Indiana is the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks are actually 4-1 (80%) as home underdogs, while the Pacers have the 6th-worst win percentage as road favorites at 53.3% (8-7).
I like the value here for the BUCKS (+145), especially with a smaller wager since you can also take the points for a better chance of winning.
Against the spread
As I mentioned above, since I like Milwaukee straight up, I certainly like them at +4.5.
BET BUCKS +4.5 (-115).
Over/Under
Both teams shot over 50% from the floor last game, and the centers shot it from deep. Pacers C Myles Turner made 7 of 9, while Bucks C Brook Lopez made 3 of 5. That kind of efficiency will be an outlier as both teams clamp down on defense.
Indiana will need to show that it can actually keep teams from scoring if it intends to make any kind of playoff run, while Milwaukee needs to keep its season alive.
LEAN UNDER 216.5 (-110).
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