The Milwaukee Bucks head to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers as the two teams meet in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals for the second straight year.
The Bucks took last year’s series in six game but will be shorthanded with Damian Lillard sidelined, placing a ton of pressure on Giannis Antetokounmpo to facilitate offensively.
Antetokounmpo has shown that he’s up to the challenge and that’s why he highlights my Bucks vs. Pacers props and NBA picks for Saturday, April 19.
Best Bucks vs Pacers props
Giannis Antetokounmpo to record triple double (+350 at bet365)
Pascal Siakam Under 19.5 points (-115 at bet365)- Gary Trent Jr. Over 2.5 threes made (+140 at bet 365)
Bucks vs Pacers player props for April 19
Giannis Antetokounmpo to record triple double (+350 at bet365)
Damian Lillard has been sidelined for a month since being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf – a big hit to the Milwaukee Bucks offense, but something that they’ve been able to adjust to down the stretch.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was already Milwaukee’s primary scorer but he’s also stepped up as their top playmaker in Lillard’s absence, averaging an incredible 11.8 assists per game over his last six contests and 10+ dimes in five of those outings.
The Greek Freak has achieved that while still averaging nearly 32 points and 12 rebounds per game over the same span. That helped him record a triple double in four of his last five games to close out the regular season.
The Indiana Pacers will certainly be honing in on Giannis defensively, but stopping the two-time MVP is easier said than done.
Antetokounmpo has recorded a double double in each of his last two meetings vs. Indiana, coming up just three assists shy of a triple double in both games. He’ll likely be forced to dish the rock in Game 1 – something he’s clearly become comfortable doing.
Pascal Siakam Under 19.5 points (-115 at bet365)
While the Bucks offense is centered entirely around Antetokounmpo, the Pacers are spoiled for choice up front. Indiana finished the season with seven players that averaged at least 10 ppg and four that scored 15+ ppg.
Pascal Siakam led the team with just over 20 ppg but the power forward really cooled off towards the end of the season, averaging a mere 15 ppg through his final nine contests while recording Under 19.5 points in seven of them.
The Pacers still went 9-3 since the start of Siakam’s cold streak – a positive sign that the team can continue to score and win even without Spicy P leading the way.
Younger guys like Bennedict Mathurin have stepped up over the last month, with the 22-year-old scoring 20+ points in six of his last 12 contests.
Siakam will still play an important role in Game 1 and the rest of the series, but I don’t see him necessarily taking over offensively – in large part because he simply doesn’t need to.
Gary Trent Jr. Over 2.5 threes made (+140 at bet 365)
The Bucks have lost some three-point shooting talent this postseason with Lillard still sidelined and Khris Middleton shipped off to the Washington Wizard at the trade deadline. They’ll need to score threes somehow, though, and that’s an area where Gary Trent Jr. has stepped up.
The shooting guard shot 41.6% from beyond the arc this season – the second-best conversion rate of his career – and he seemed to get better as the year went on.
Since March 20, Trent Jr. has led the Bucks in both three-point makes (3.1) and attempts (7.4) per game. No other player averaged even five attempts from long range for Milwaukee over that span.
Trent Jr. dropped at least three treys in 13 of his last 18 outings while hitting the mark against the Pacers twice last month, and the Bucks will need that trend to hold if they’re going to find any success in Game 1.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
