Two teams that are both on the tail end of back-to-back games meet Thursday night when the Milwaukee Bucks (4-2, 1-4-1 ATS) travel to take on their Central Division rival the Indiana Pacers (4-3, 4-3 ATS). (Note: This article was published before the conclusion of the Jazz/Pacers and Pistons/Bucks games on Wednesday). In their previous game, Milwaukee won on the road in Brooklyn, defeating the Nets 129-125, but just missing the cover as 4.5-point favorites. The Pacers just blasted Wemby and the Spurs, winning 152-111 as 8.5-point favorites.

Bucks are Starting to Gel

Milwaukee has high expectations this season, but they did not get out to a hot start. The team started out 2-2, with double-digit losses to the Hawks and Raptors when they were favored to win. Since then, the Bucks have beaten both New York teams, most recently beating the Nets in Brooklyn. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for Milwaukee with 36 points and 12 rebounds in the win. After the game Giannis said, “We knew they wanted to play one on one and try to get to the rim or shoot an open three. I think guys did a great job just containing as much as they could.”

Giannis is leading the team in scoring and rebounding with 26.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG while shooting 54.8% from the floor. Damian Lillard is enjoying his new role in Milwaukee, the pressure is off for him to be the only scoring threat, and now is averaging 22.7 PPG to go with a team high 5.0 APG. Lillard is the top shooter on the team, making 2.5 threes per game, but his percentage is down a bit at 32.6%. There is a steep fall in scoring after the two stars. Brook Lopez averages 10.0 PPG while starting at center, and Bobby Portis comes off the bench to score 10.5 per game.

Khris Middleton is trying to return to form from a knee injury, he is going to sit out Wednesday’s game against Detroit, and is questionable to play here. Middleton is only averaging 9.8 PPG in just 18.6 minutes of action. Malik Beasley starts at shooting guard and adds 8.5 PPG, while Jae Crowder has been providing quality minutes off the bench with 9.5 PPG.

Pacers Scorch Spurs Early

The Indiana Pacers came out hot in their last game against San Antonio. They put up 44 in the first quarter and 42 in the second quarter to take a commanding 25 point lead at halftime. Indiana was able to coast to a win behind 23 points and eight assists from star guard Tyrese Haliburton. After the game Haliburton said, “The ball was just moving well. We were putting good energy in the ball. We were just playing the right way, getting enough stops, which allowed us to play in transition.”

Tyrese Haliburton is leading the NBA in assists by a wide margin, he is averaging 11.7 per game, and the next highest (Trae Young) is at just 10.4. Haliburton also leads the Pacers in scoring with 24.0 PPG. Myles Turner holds down the paint for Indiana, he is averaging 16.4 PPG and 8.9 RPG as a 6’11 center. Buddy Hield comes off the bench as the third leading scorer, he averages 13.4 PPG and is the top shooter on the team. Both Hield and Haliburton are averaging three or more made three pointers per game. The Pacers were able to steal Bruce Brown away from Denver, he starts for the Pacers and averages 11.6 PPG.

The Pacers have a balanced scoring attack. Bennedict Mathurin (11.0 PPG) and Obi Toppin (9.7 PPG) are the other two starters, while Aaron Nesmith (11.3 PPG) and Jalen Smith (11.2) provide additional scoring off the bench. The Pacers rank 8th in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency. Haliburton has these young Pacers playing fast, they play at the 2nd fastest tempo in the league averaging 103.7 possessions per game.