Giannis Antetokounmpo, nursing an ankle injury, sat in street clothes on the Milwaukee bench as he watched the suddenly-hot Portland Trail Blazers dominate his Bucks on Monday night. A day later, he’s back in Bucks’ rotation for a Tuesday meeting with the Indiana Pacers.
His return changes how bettors should go about this matchup. Fresh off of a Finals MVP award, Giannis is putting up numbers that are almost identical to his previous two seasons, and the Bucks are a threat to win anytime he steps onto the court.
But what about the others? Milwaukee is dealing with several injuries. It’ll be without Pat Connaughton, George Hill, Wes Matthews, Brook Lopez and DeAndre Bembry, who the Bucks are “closing in on signing.”
Per Mike Budenholzer, Giannis Antetokounmpo will play tonight. https://t.co/r503IkxSSR
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) February 15, 2022
That’s a lot of shooting, defending, and versatility that the Bucks will be without. How will it impact the outcome on Tuesday?
Pacers at Bucks, 8 p.m. ET
Spread: Bucks (-14.5)
Moneyline: Bucks (-1600), Pacers (+800)
Over/Under: 236.5
Regardless of who is on the court, the Pacers are going to give up points. They’re allowing an average of 123.7 per game over their last 10, which includes when they gave up 158 points (in regulation) to the Charlotte Hornets. Combine that with Milwaukee’s high-octane offense and the two teams should hit the “over” (236.5 total points) at Tipico.
More likely than not, it’ll be Giannis leading the way for Milwaukee. But Grayson Allen’s 11.5-points and 2.5-threes player props are ones to watch with so many of the Bucks’ guards and shooters on the shelf. And perhaps Jrue Holiday continues to light it up from deep (O/U1.5-threes at Tipico).
Make that a 7-game win streak vs. Pacers. pic.twitter.com/sVLdtOnii0
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 16, 2021
It’ll be surprising if Indiana finds themselves in a position to win this game. But if the Pacers do, it’ll be because (a) they lit the scoreboard on fire, or (b) they somehow found a way to limit the Bucks’ offense. Best guess would be the former, and if that were the case, find your favorite props for Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield and consider taking the over.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
