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Game Preview: Pacers at Bucks

Pacers.com Game Preview presented by DraftKings

Matchup

After taking both games in a two-game set in Miami, the Pacers (19-22) will try to sweep a three-game road trip on Monday night in Milwaukee. It won't be easy, however, to beat the streaking Bucks (27-14).

After rolling to a 137-110 win on Friday, the Pacers had a tougher test in Sunday afternoon's rematch with the Heat, but still managed to come away with a 109-106 victory. It was a balanced effort, with seven players scoring between 12 and 17 points and all of them making key plays down the stretch.

The Pacers hope that the two-game sweep of Miami can carry over against the rest of the league. One key in both games was the strong play off the bench of both T.J. McConnell and Doug McDermott. McConnell averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals over the two games with the Heat, while McDermott scored 32 points over the two contests on 13-of-22 shooting.

The Bucks finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference each of the past two seasons, but they sputtered somewhat out of the gates to start this year. Milwaukee was just 16-13 after being swept by Toronto in two game set on Feb. 18, but has been a different team since that date.

The Bucks enter Monday's contest having won six straight and 11 of their last 12. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is leading the way once again. He currently ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring (29 points per game), fifth in rebounding (11.7 per contest), 13th in blocks (1.3) and 18th in assists (6.4), but he will miss Monday's game. The Bucks ruled Antetokounmpo out due to a knee sprain on Monday afternoon's injury report.

Projected Starters

Malcolm Brogdon

Malcolm Brogdon

Caris LeVert

Caris LeVert

Justin Holiday

Justin Holiday

Domantas Sabonis

Domantas Sabonis

Myles Turner

Myles Turner

Jrue Holiday

Jrue Holiday

Donte DiVincenzo

Donte DiVincenzo

Khris Middleton

Khris Middleton

Bobby Portis

Bobby Portis

Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez

Pacers: PG - Malcolm Brogdon, SG - Caris LeVert, SF - Justin Holiday, PF - Domantas Sabonis, C - Myles Turner
>Bucks: PG - Jrue Holiday, SG - Donte DiVincenzo, SF - Khris Middleton, PF - Bobby Portis, C - Brook Lopez

Injury Report

Pacers: Jalen Lecque – questionable (right ankle sprain), T.J. Warren - out (left foot stress fracture)

Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo - out (left knee sprain), Rodions Kurucs – out (abdominal strain)

Last Meeting

Feb. 3, 2021: Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double, seven Bucks scored in double figures, and Milwaukee never trailed in a 130-110 win over Indiana.

"We just didn't come out with enough urgency on both ends," Pacers forward Doug McDermott said after the loss. "It's something that we've got to clean up. Just because we played the night before doesn't give us an excuse to lay an egg."

Domantas Sabonis set a new career high with 33 points in 31 minutes in the loss, 14-for-25 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range while also tallying 13 points and five assists.

Anteotkounmpo finished with a team-high 21 points for Milwaukee, going 7-for-8 from both the field and the free throw line, grabbing 14 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists.

Justin Holiday had 15 points and eight rebounds for Indiana, while McDermott added 13 points and seven boards off the bench.

Noteworthy

  • The Pacers have yet to win in Fiserv Forum. They've dropped five straight games in Milwaukee since the Bucks opened their new arena for the 2018-19 season.
  • Indiana is 5-3 on the season when playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
  • The Bucks pulled off a trade to bolster their roster for the postseason on Friday, acquiring P.J. Tucker, Rodions Kurucs, a 2021 second-round, and a 2022 first-round draft pick from Houston in exchange for D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, and 2021 and 2023 first-round picks.

Tickets

A limited number of tickets for all upcoming Pacers home games from March 17 - April 21 are now on sale. Tickets for the final nine regular season home games will go on sale on Monday, April 19. Single Game Tickets »   Health & Safety Guidelines »

Broadcast Information TV & Radio Listings »

TV: FOX Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (studio host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Pat Boylan (studio host)