No first-round NBA playoff series’ outlook changed more in Game 3 three than Pacers (4) vs. Bucks (5).
Indiana dominated Games 1 and 2 at home to take a 2-0 lead. Game 3 looked like more of the same for 24 minutes, as the Pacers jumped out to a 57-47 halftime lead.
But Giannis Antetokounmpo and Gary Trent Jr. finished with 37 points apiece, and the Bucks outscored the Pacers 70-44 after halftime (including 39-18 in the third quarter).
Trent, who averaged 2.4 made 3-pointers and 11.1 points per game in the regular season, was the biggest reason for the Bucks’ comeback win. His 9-for-12 night from outside tied a franchise playoff record.
More importantly, his hot shooting resuscitated a Milwaukee team that looked overmatched for the first two-and-a-half games of this series.
Can Giannis — who is averaging 35.7 points and 14 rebounds per game in the playoffs — get enough help from Trent, Damian Lillard and the rest of the Milwaukee supporting cast to win Game 4 and make this a suddenly wide-open series?
Pacers vs. Bucks Game 4 Betting Odds
How to Watch Pacers vs. Bucks Game 4
- Tipoff: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Channel: TNT/Max
Pacers vs. Bucks Series Winner Odds
- DraftKings: IND -220; MIL +180
- FanDuel: IND -220; MIL +180
Best Pacers vs. Bucks Game 4 Player Props
Damian Lillard 4+ Made Three-Pointers (+190 at FD) — 0.75 units
Lillard returned from a long absence due to a blood clot in Game 2, and he’s understandably shown some serious rust in his first two games since March 18.
The former Blazers star scored 14 points on 4-for-13 FG shooting (2-for-8 3PT) in 37 minutes in Game 2. He was even less effective in Game 3, with just seven points on 2-for-12 shooting (1-for-8 3PT) in 32 minutes.
But given how few answers the Pacers have shown they have for Giannis, and how much attention Trent will get tonight after his shocking Game 3 eruption (he scored more than 23 points just once in the regular season), Lillard feels due for a big night.
It also helps his case that he shot a solid 14-for-36 from 3 in four regular-season games vs. the Pacers. That includes a 6-for-12 night from outside on March 15 in one of the last games he played in the regular season before he was sidelined with deep vein thrombosis.
Lillard’s cold shooting vs. Indiana the last two games makes this a roll of the dice, but there’s upside at nearly 2-to-1, and as long as Lillard gets eight or more 3PA again tonight, it’s hard to see the career 37 percent 3-point shooter staying cold.
Pacers vs. Bucks Game 4 Pick, Best Bets
Milwaukee appeared to have no answer for the Pacers’ pace and balance through Games 1 and 2, but the Bucks got an outstanding offensive performance of their own in Game 3 to give themselves life in this series.
At this point, it’s virtually a given that Giannis will put up around 35 and 15. The question is whether Trent, Lillard and/or anyone else for Milwaukee can prove that they can step up.
I expect Game 4 to be the tightest one of the series, but Indiana — which won last year’s first-round clash between these teams 4-2 — is a good value play on the spread and/or the moneyline.
So, let’s go with the Pacers to successfully get back to the formula that helped them dominate the first 120 minutes of this series: pushing the pace for easy buckets and preventing Milwaukee’s supporting cast from getting going, even if it means a monster night by Giannis.
Pacers vs. Bucks Game 4 Best Bets:
- Pacers +4 (-110 at FanDuel) — 1 unit
- Pacers ML (+152 at FD) — 0.5 units
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