The Indiana Pacers bring their three-game road swing to an end when they go head to head with the Milwaukee Bucks at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the Bucks snapped their run of five consecutive defeats in Indianapolis when they picked up a 120-112 victory on December 31 and will look to make it three back-to-back wins against the home side.
Match preview
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The Indiana Pacers suffered a second defeat in their double-header against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night as they fell 120-118 when the two sides squared off at the State Farm Arena.
Just two nights after a losing 124-118, Bennedict Mathurin knocked down 30 points off the bench to help the Pacers cut down a 20-point deficit and make it a close contest, but Trae Young and Caris LeVert combined for 62 points to hand Atlanta back-to-back home wins for the first time this year.
While Indiana have now lost each of their most recent three games on their travels, they are on a run of three consecutive victories on home court — seeing off the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and the Houston Rockets — and are 5-1 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse since February 21.
Despite their recent slump, Rick Carlisle's men remain well on course to secure post-season action as they hold a 35-27 record from their 62 regular-season matches to sit fifth in the Eastern Conference table, five wins above seventh-placed Hawks outside the automatic playoff places.
While Indiana set out in search of a fourth straight home on Wednesday, they will first look to secure a morale-boosting result on Monday night, when they visit the United Center to face the Chicago Bulls in the last of a three-game road trip.
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On the other hand, the Milwaukee Bucks suffered consecutive defeats for the first time since February 4 as they fell 112-110 against the NBA leaders Cleveland Cavaliers at the Fiserv Arena on Sunday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 30.9 points per game this season, knocked down 30 on 13-of-24 shooting from the field to lead the Bucks, but while Donovan Mitchell endured a cold shooting night for Cleveland, the Cavs pulled through to secure a 13th consecutive victory.
Prior to that, the Milwaukee Bucks saw their run of four back-to-back victories come to an end on March 3, when they fell to a disappointing 111-109 defeat against the Orlando Magic, who had lost each of their previous 10 visits to the Fiserv Forum Arena.
Having played each of their last three games on home court, Tuesday's game sees Doc Rivers' men back on the road, where they are 4-1 from their most recent five matches, with their only defeat in that time coming on February 26, when they lost 100-97 against the Rockets at the Toyota Center.
Like the home side, the Milwaukee Bucks are on course to secure playoff basketball as they sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 36-27 record from their 63 games, four wins behind the New York Knicks in third place.
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Team News
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The Indiana Pacers remain without the services of 22-year-old Isaiah Jackson, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn Achilles back in November.
T.J. McConnell and 25-year-old guard Tyrese Haliburton are both questionable for Tuesday's visit to the Bulls due to ankle and hip injuries respectively and will be assessed ahead of the clash against Milwaukee.
As for the Bucks, 32-year-old guard Pat Connaughton has missed each of the last eight games through a calf injury and is out of contention for Tuesday's trip to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Damian Lillard dropped 22 points in the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last time out — his fifth consecutive 20+ outing — and the veteran guard is now averaging 25.5 points per game this season.
He should form the second half of a formidable offensive duo with floor general Antetokounmpo, who is currently second in the league scoring chart with 30.9 points per game, only behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.9).
Indiana Pacers possible starting 5:
Sheppard, Nembhard, Nesmith, Turner, Siakam
Milwaukee Bucks possible starting 5:
Lillard, Prince, Lopez, Kuzma, Antetokounmpo
We say: The Milwaukee Bucks to win by 7+ points.
Meetings between the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks have often served up fireworks in the past and we anticipate another thrilling matchup as they look to get one over the other in their race for playoff basketball.
Carlisle's men have been tough to crack at home in recent weeks but we fancy the Bucks to grind out a tough victory and extend their recent dominance over the hosts.
Joshua Ojele
