The Indiana Pacers were dealt a devastating blow earlier this season when star guard Victor Oladipo suffered a quad injury that cut his 2018-19 campaign short. Still, the Pacers have managed to stay near the top of the Eastern Conference standings and currently sit in third place in the conference with a 42-23 record. This definitely isn't the same group without Oladipo, but adding sharpshooting guard Wesley Matthews should help out the team down the stretch.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks have managed to completely transform into an elite team this season with Mike Budenholzer at the helm. Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly looks to be a front-runner for the MVP and continues to absolutely dominate the competition. However, the Bucks have dropped their past two games against the lowly Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz after ripping off seven straight wins prior to that.
How to watch Pacers at Bucks
- Date: Thursday, March 7
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Fiserv Forum -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Streaming: fuboTV - (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
- TV: TNT
- Live stats: GameTracker
- Odds: Bucks -10.0
Odds and Analysis
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Storylines
Pacers: With Oladipo out of the lineup, Bojan Bogdanovic has really risen to the occasion for the Pacers. Over the team's last two games, Bogdanovic is averaging 26.0 points and shooting 50.0 percent from beyond the arc. In addition, Bogdanovic has scored at least 20 points in six of Indiana's last seven games. If the Pacers want to make this one close, they're going to need Bogdanovic's scoring touch.
Bucks: Much like their Eastern Conference counterparts, the Bucks made a bold move at the trade deadline when they acquired sharpshooting forward Nikola Mirotic. Mirotic can do a significant amount of damage from the perimeter and really stretches the floor. However, the former New Orleans Pelicans forward has struggled over the last two games with just 16 total points and four 3s in 16 attempts. If Milwaukee wants to put some more distance in the standings, Mirotic will need to get back on track.
Game prediction, pick
The Bucks have been the class of the Eastern Conference throughout the season thus far. With the team being at home, it'll be too much for the Pacers to overcome.
