Bucks get their second shot at Indy this week
After suffering one of the most gut-wrenching losses of the season four days ago, the Milwaukee Bucks will have their shot at redemption as the Indiana Pacers come to Fiserv Forum for a Saturday night clash. Their Tuesday night thriller was the first win for the Pacers against Milwaukee this season, after the Bucks took the first two. If Milwaukee can take care of Indy, they will claim the season series and the tiebreaker for postseason seeding. Indiana and Milwaukee are currently tied for the 4th seed in the East with identical records of 37-28.
Where We’re At
The Bucks finally ended a brutal three-game losing streak with a big 126-106 win against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. Despite allowing Luka Doncic to go off for 45 points and 11 rebounds, Milwaukee handled the rest of the depleted Lake Show. Kevin Porter Jr. has been lighting it up in March. In seven games, he’s been averaging 11.6 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 3.4 RPG while also shooting 54.2% from the field and 52.9% from three-point range on 2.4 attempts per game.
After losing three straight games with Tyrese Haliburton out of the lineup, they got a big win over the Bucks in his first game back, and Hali played hero with a four-point play in the final seconds. Indiana got another W this week as they handled business against the injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers team, 112-100. Pascal Siakam dropped a game-high 27 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists, in the Pacers’ first matchup of a three-game road trip.
Injury Report
The Bucks injury prognosis looks good, with Giannis (left calf strain), Dame (right groin soreness), and KPJ (left ankle sprain) all listed as probable for tonight. Chris Livingston is off the report after battling a non-COVID illness, and Tyler Smith was upgraded to questionable while he deals with back spasms.
We won’t be getting any updates on the Pacers’ injury front until later this afternoon, with it being the second game of a back-to-back for Indy.
Player To Watch
Pascal Siakam has been a pain in the Bucks’ side ever since his emergence during the 2019 playoffs when he was still with the Toronto Raptors. A friend of the site Bucks Film Room pointed out on Tuesday that Siakam was a problem for the Bucks when Giannis wasn’t on the floor. To open the fourth quarter on Tuesday, Siakam scored or assisted on the first 11 Pacers points to keep them tied or to push them ahead early. It will be something to monitor if Doc Rivers opts to match Siakam and Giannis’ minutes to prevent any potential scoring outbursts from the All-Star.
How To Watch
FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin at 7:00 p.m. CDT.
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