The Indiana Pacers will look to close out their 2024 NBA playoffs series with the Milwaukee Bucks when they meet in Game 5 on Tuesday. After dropping Game 1, Indiana has won three in a row, including a 126-113 triumph on Sunday to go up 3-1 in the series. The Pacers (47-35), who have won nine of their last 12 games, have dominated Milwaukee this season, winning seven of nine matchups. The Bucks (49-33), who won the NBA title in 2020-21, are looking to avoid a first-round exit for the second year in a row. Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) and Damian Lillard (Achilles) are listed as doubtful, while Tyrese Haliburton (back) is questionable.
The game from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee will tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET. Indiana is averaging 116.5 points per game this postseason, second-best in the NBA, while Milwaukee is averaging 112, third-best. Indiana is a 4-point favorite in the latest Pacers vs. Bucks odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 216. Before making any Bucks vs. Pacers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters the third week of the 2024 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 92-61 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,600. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Bucks vs. Pacers and just locked in its picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Pacers vs. Bucks:
- Pacers vs. Bucks spread: Indiana -4
- Pacers vs. Bucks over/under: 216 points
- Pacers vs. Bucks money line: Indiana -180, Milwaukee +150
- IND: The Pacers are 46-37-3 against the spread this season
- MIL: The Bucks are 3-7 over their past 10 games and are 4-6 ATS
- Pacers vs. Bucks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Pacers can cover
Despite being questionable with back spasms, Wisconsin native Haliburton has dominated the Bucks this postseason, posting a double-double and one triple-double. In a 125-108 Game 2 win over Milwaukee, he scored 12 points and added 12 assists and four rebounds. He scored 18 points, while adding 16 assists and 10 rebounds in a 121-118 overtime win in Game 3. On Sunday, he followed that up with a 24-point, four-rebound and four-assist performance as he battled back spasms. For the series, he is averaging 15.8 points, 10 assists and 6.3 rebounds.
Also powering the Pacers is point guard Andrew Nembhard. The second-year player has scored in double figures in three of the four games in the series, and is averaging 14.3 points, 4.8 assists and three rebounds in 34.8 minutes. He poured in 20 points, while adding four rebounds and three assists in Game 2. On Sunday, he narrowly missed posting a double-double with 15 points, nine assists and three rebounds in 38 minutes. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why the Bucks can cover
Despite the possibility of having to play without Antetokounmpo and Lillard, Milwaukee still has some firepower in the form of small forward Khris Middleton. In four starts in the series, he is averaging 26.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes. He has registered three double-doubles this postseason. He poured in 42 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 121-118 overtime loss in Game 3, and scored 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists in Game 4.
Center Brook Lopez has also stepped up his play this postseason. He is averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks in the series. In the Game 4 loss, Lopez scored 27 points, while grabbing nine rebounds in 39 minutes of action. He had 22 points, three assists and two blocks in Game 2. He has reached double-digit scoring in each of the last 11 games in 2023-2024. See which team to back at SportsLine.
How to make Pacers vs. Bucks picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 229 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can see the picks only at SportsLine.
So who wins Bucks vs. Pacers, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pacers vs. Bucks spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 92-61 roll on top-rated NBA picks this season, and find out.
