Gainbridge Fieldhouse hosts a Central Division tilt between the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers on Friday. The Bucks are 31-17 this season, including four wins in their last five games. The Pacers are 24-26 overall, but an impressive 16-9 at home in Indianapolis. Tyrese Haliburton (knee) is out for Indiana, with Andrew Nembhard (illness), Aaron Nesmith (wrist) and Myles Turner (ankle) listed as questionable. Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) is listed as likely for Milwaukee, with Bobby Portis (knee) ruled out and MarJon Beauchamp (knee) and AJ Green (ankle) listed as doubtful.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET in Indianapolis. Caesars Sportsbook lists Milwaukee as the 8-point favorite, while the plus/minus, or total number of runs Vegas thinks it will score, is 238 in the latest Bucks vs. Pacers odds. Before you lock in the Pacers vs Bucks picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting tips from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine projection model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has generated more than $10,000 in player profits from $100 on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four seasons. The supermodel enters Week 15 of the 2022-23 NBA season with a stunning score of 47-22 on all NBA top picks this season, netting nearly $2,200. Anyone who follows him has seen huge returns.
Now the model has set his sights on Bucks vs Pacers and has just locked in his NBA picks and predictions. You can head over to SportsLine now to see the model choices. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Bucks vs Pacers:
- Bucks vs. Pacers gap: Bucks -8
- Bucks vs. Pacers over/under: 238 points
- Money line Bucks vs. Pacers: Bucks -345, Pacers +270
- MIL: Bucks are 9-12-3 ATS in road games
- IND: Pacers are 16-9 ATS in home games
- Bucks vs. Pacers Picks: See the picks here
Featured game | Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Why the Bucks can cover
The Bucks have an advantageous offensive game against a below-average Pacers team in several defensive categories. Milwaukee is also the strongest team overall, thanks in large part to its elite defense. The Bucks are in the top three in the NBA in defensive efficiency, giving up just 110.1 points per 100 possessions. Milwaukee is excellent against 3-pointers (35.0%) and 2-pointers (51.6%), leading to fourth place in the NBA with a field goal percentage of 45.5%.
The Bucks are fantastic on the defensive glass, getting nearly 74% of opponents’ missed shots and rank in the top three in free throw prevention (21.0 attempts per game) and assists allowed (23.0 per game). ). The Bucks are also stopping 5.1 shots per game, a top-eight figure, and Indiana is shooting just 45.6% from the field this season. The Pacers also have turnover issues, committing 15.4 giveaways per game, and Indiana is scoring just 1.08 points per possession with Haliburton on the ground this season.
Why the Pacers can cover
Indiana has strength on both ends of the court this season. The Pacers lead the NBA in quick break points (18.8 per game) and are above average in offensive rebound rate (29.4%), 3-point accuracy (36.2%), free throw creation (24.0 attempts per game), assists per play (26.5) and free throw accuracy (80.1%). Milwaukee is creating just 12.9 turnovers per game on defense, the second-fewest in the NBA, and the Pacers are also putting pressure on opponents on defense.
Indiana is in the top five in the league with 15.8 turnovers created per game and averaging 6.0 blocks per game, No. 2 in the league. Opponents are shooting just 53.4 percent from 2 points against Indiana, and Milwaukee’s offense is heavily below the NBA average in offensive rating, field goal percentage, free throw creation and turnover avoidance.
How to Make Bucks vs. Pacers Picks
SportsLine’s model looks at total points, with a single player predicted to reach or exceed 20 points. The model also indicates that one side of the gap hits in more than 50% of the simulations. You can only see model choices on SportsLine.
So who wins Bucks vs. Pacers? And which side of the gap hits in well over 50% of the simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Bucks vs. Pacers spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model who crushed his NBA picks, and find out.