Bucks vs Pacers Prediction, Picks & Player Props: Will Giannis & Milwaukee dominate struggling Indiana?

The Milwaukee Bucks are 2-0 this week since Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to action, and they will look to pick up a third straight win tonight when they visit the struggling Indiana Pacers.

The Bucks (31-17, 12-12 away, 3rd in the Eastern Conference) scored 150 points against the Pistons in Giannis’s return on Monday, then followed that with a 107-99 win over the Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

Those two wins are one more than the Pacers (24-26, 16-9 home, 9th in the Eastern Conference) have in their last nine games, as they continue to struggle without the injured Tyrese Haliburton.

However, they did pick up a win over the Chicago Bulls in their most recent home game on Tuesday, rallying from a 21-point deficit to stun Chicago.

How will things play out tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse? Read on for our Bucks vs Pacers prediction, as well as our spread and player prop picks for this Central Division clash.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Friday, January 27, 2023, at 10:50 am ET. This article may also include odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites.

Spread

• Milwaukee Bucks -8.5 (-108)
• Indiana Pacers +8.5 (-112)

Over/Under

• Over 239 (-110)
• Under 239 (-110)

Moneyline

• Milwaukee Bucks -350
• Indiana Pacers +280

Pacers Likely to Fall Again Without Haliburton

When Haliburton went down during a 119-113 loss to the Knicks on January 11, the Pacers were still four games over .500 even after the loss at Madison Square Garden.

But with one win in eight games without their star point guard, Indiana has dropped below .500. That shows why we should see Haliburton in Salt Lake City next month at the NBA All-Star Game, and it also shows bettors that the Pacers are high-level fade material without him until they show otherwise.

Not only have the Pacers not won without Haliburton, they also have struggled to cover. In this eight-game stretch, Indiana is just 2-6 ATS, covering as a three-point underdog in a 113-111 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks in their first game after Haliburton’s injury and as a 1.5-point underdog in Tuesday’s win over the Bulls.

This stretch includes a 132-119 loss in Milwaukee on January 16, in which the Giannis-less Bucks won and covered as a five-point favorite by outscoring the Pacers 39-21 in the final quarter.

A similar outcome is likely tonight, even with Milwaukee as an even bigger favorite on the road.

The Bucks didn’t cover on Wednesday as a double-digit favorite against the Nuggets, but they are 21-7 SU and 19-7-2 ATS this season when favored by nine or fewer points, and they are 28-9 SU and 22-13-2 overall as a favorite this season.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers Prediction and Picks

Bucks vs Pacers Prediction: Bucks to win

Bucks vs Pacers Picks: Bucks -8.5 (Best Value: Bovada Sportsbook & BetMGM) & Bucks team total over 123.5 (Best Value: BetOnline)

A similar outcome as the recent meeting in Milwaukee is likely tonight, even with the Bucks as an even bigger favorite on the road than they were at Fiserv Forum.

The Bucks didn’t cover on Wednesday as a double-digit favorite against the Nuggets, but they are 21-7 SU and 19-7-2 ATS this season when favored by nine or fewer points, and they are 28-9 SU and 22-13-2 overall as a favorite this season.

Also, the Pacers have given up 124+ points five times in this stretch without Haliburton, with a high of 134 allowed at Denver last Friday.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers Player Props

• Giannis Antetokounmpo over 30.5 points (Best Value: BetOnline)
• Giannis Antetokounmpo over 44.5 points + rebounds (Best Value: Bovada Sportsbook)

In eight games against Central Division opposition this season, Giannis has averaged 34.0 PPG, 12.4 RPG, and 5.3 APG, with standout performances in Cleveland (45 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists) on December 21 and in Chicago (45 points, 22 rebounds, and seven assists) on December 28.

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