Milwaukee Bucks (31-17, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (24-26, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Indianapolis; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Indiana Pacers. Antetokounmpo is third in the league averaging 31.0 points per game.
The Pacers are 3-3 against the rest of their division. Indiana is sixth in the Eastern Conference shooting 36.2% from deep, led by T.J. McConnell shooting 44.8% from 3-point range.
The Bucks have gone 18-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Milwaukee averages 14.6 turnovers per game and is 10-4 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Bucks won the last matchup 132-119 on Jan. 16. Jrue Holiday scored 35 points to help lead the Bucks to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 20.2 points, 10.2 assists and 1.8 steals for the Pacers. Buddy Hield is averaging 17.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 45.7% over the last 10 games for Indiana.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 31 points, 12 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Bucks. Holiday is averaging 16.1 points over the last 10 games for Milwaukee.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 2-8, averaging 113.1 points, 43.1 rebounds, 25.0 assists, 9.0 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 43.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.3 points per game.
Bucks: 6-4, averaging 115.2 points, 43.9 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.3 points.
INJURIES: Pacers: Andrew Nembhard: out (illness), Daniel Theis: out (knee), Tyrese Haliburton: out (elbow/knee), Kendall Brown: out (leg).
Bucks: Bobby Portis: out (knee), MarJon Beauchamp: out (wrist), Serge Ibaka: out (personal).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
