The fourth seeded of the Oriental Conference (50-32) will face the fifth seeded Milwaukee Bucks (48-34) in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. This is a revenge match of a series in the first round of last season, when the Sixth Seeds Pacers upset their competitors from the third seeded, 4-2.
What we know about the pacers
No one confuses the Pacers with a juggernaut. The sum of their pieces when maximized is a seeded of 50 victories -victories – your team of playoffs, which is precisely what they have been all season. No one should be surprised if Indiana lost in the first round of the playoffs or returns to the final of the Eastern Conference.
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Their stars, Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, are both candidates for the NBA. They are the class of players who can keep their team in any series but cannot dominate a better set of seven. Haliburton is an exceptional playmaker but a reluctant marker. Siakam does everything well and nothing exceptionally. Together, they outlined the opponents of 6.8 points per 100 possessions – very good but not great.
The distribution of support for pacers, embodied by TJ McConnell, is also heavy on the substance and light on flash. Myles Turner is a quality edge protector and a floor space for the central position. None of their young and talented contributors should be confused with a third star in the making. But Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin have each assumed roles that contribute to victory.
As a group, the Pacers Field Sept (and almost eight) two -digit scorers. This resulted in an offense among the first 10 and an intermediate defense, the type of team which requires a collective effort to remain competitive.
What we know about dollars
The Bucks are there through Giannis Antetokounmpo, a lock in the first All-NBA team for a seventh consecutive season. Everything else for the NBA 2021 champions collapse around their permanent MVP candidate.
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Antetokounmpo collected an average of 30.4 points (on the shooting divisions 60/22/62), 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, on what it has on average of the six previous seasons. We are numb to its greatness. Only seven times in the history of the NBA, someone has an average equivalent of a 30-12-6. Oscar Robertson did it during the 1961-62 season. Nikola Jokić joined her this year. And antetokounmpo has done it in five of the last six seasons.
This consistency allowed Bucks to sail on the rocky road around Antetokounmpo. Where once he had high -level teammates to share his burden, he now has a series of question points. The blood clots have gone away from Damian Lillard since mid-March. Milwaukee transformed the Khris Middleton shell in Kyle Kuzma. Brook Lopez has just been 37 years old. And Bobby Portis has just returned from A suspension of 25 games.
AJ Green, Aka Dairy Bird and a trio of new arrivals – Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince and Kevin Porter Jr. – Combined to draw 42.5% out of 17.5 attempts by 3 points per game. This provided antetokounmpo with an arsenal sufficient to overcome a 2-8 start to the season, maintain an offensive note from the top-10 and win 48 games.
Tête-à-tête
The Bucks won their regular season series with the Pacers, 3-1.
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Haliburton and Siakam were both good during these meetings. Haliburton raised an average of 17 points and 10.3. Siakam raised an average of 24 points and 8.5 rebounds. They needed more of their support casting, which was missing Nesmith for the first two defeats against Milwaukee. He scored 30 points in Indiana's only victory against his rival, and even then the Pacers required A miracle To beat the dollars by one.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo was a monster every night against Indiana. It was even more effective than its usual production, with an average of 30-12-8 on 65% of shooting on the field during the four games. No matter how Lillard worked. He scored twice over 20 years and twice worse as 30% against the Pacers. Be that as it may, the Bucks allowed 118.1 high power points per 100 possessions opposite the Indiana.
Match to watch
Can Giannis feed the dollars in front of the Pacers? (Photo of Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
(Andy Lyons via Getty Images)
Giannis antetokounmpo vs Pascal I will 'you'
No one spent any time defending Antetokounmpo than Siakam in some parts of 130 possessions out of a total of 27 minutes this season, according to the NBA follow -up data. In these minutes, Giannis scored 47 points out of 67% shooting (22-33 FG). Turner could have been a worst option against the Greek monster, granting 38 points out of 56% shooting (14-25 FG) in only 39 possessions, according to follow-up data.
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Quite simply: the pacers have no one who can stop Giannis. This is where we remind you that he missed the entire first round series of last year between the two teams, paving the way for the victory of Indiana.
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Milwaukee Bucks
The only thing we know with certainty is that Entertetokounmpo and Lopez will be on the ground at the bottom of the tight matches. We do not know if Lillard will be available in this series. As one of the great closers in the game, we will miss a lot. The rest of the programming of the Doc Rivers head coach is the assumption of anyone.
Kuzma was acquired to be in this mixture. Prince should also be there because Rivers loves him certain veterans. Green, Porter and Ryan Rollins could find crisis time difficult to find for this reason. Assuming that Portis cannot trust the clutch situations, which leaves around. And it is as striated as they come. Rivers will tinker with his rotations well in this series, upright of hot hands and hoping that the defense will survive.
Indiana Pacers
The work of head coach Rick Carlisle is easier in this direction. He goes up Haliburton, Siakam, Turner, Nembhard and Mathurin or Nesmith, according to a need for offense or defense. The two units are two -digit points for 100 significant possessions better than their opponents, Depending on the glass cleaning. More effective against Milwaukee was unity with a defensive spirit with Nesmith (net note +12.4).
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Prediction: Bucks in seven
Antetokounmpo builds a curriculum vitae which does it on the pace to finish as one of the 20 largest players to live. His team has lost the playoffs in the first round in each of the last two seasons. And they may not reach the second round for a third consecutive year. But don't bet on it.
Paris Ribs in series
(Via betmgm))
Indiana Pacers (-200)
Milwaukee Bucks (+165)
Series schedule (all time is)
Game 1: Sam., April 19 @ Indiana (1 p.m., ESPN)
Game 2: Mar., April 22 @ indiana (7 p.m., nbatv)
Game 3: Ven., April 25 @ milwaukee (8 p.m., espnu / nbatv)
Game 4: Sun, April 27 @ milwaukee (9:30 p.m., TNT)
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* Game 5: Mar. April 29 @ Indiana (TBD)
* Game 6: Ven., May 2 @ milwaukee (TBD)
* Game 7: Sun, May 4 @ Indiana (TBD)
* If necessary
No more preview of the series
East: Magic-Celtic • Pistons-Knicks • Bucks-Pacers
West: Warrior rocks • Wolves • Clippers-Nuggets
