The Indiana Pacers have one of the strongest postseason starts of any NBA franchise, picking up two home wins against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference first-round matchup.
On Friday, Indiana hits the road for the first time in the playoffs. The Pacers have won nine of the last 10 contests they’ve played, including a strong road win in Denver recently. Milwaukee had been on a similar streak, winning eight straight games before the postseason began.
Can Milwaukee regain its footing in this best-of-seven series, or will the Pacers continue their hot streak? We’ll cover that and provide individuals with our top three player prop bets for Friday’s contest.
Milwaukee Bucks PF Giannis Antetokounmpo UNDER 32.5 Points
In his previous three games, Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has delivered 32 or more points each time. Two of those games did not feature Damian Lillard. Although the Milwaukee point guard returned for Tuesday’s loss, the offense still relied heavily on Antetokounmpo as he scored 34 points while connecting on 70 percent of his shots.
With Lillard in the lineup, Antetokounmpo has finished with 33 or more points since February just three times, and only once was it in a winning effort. A healthy Lillard suggests the 6-foot-11 forward will finish under 33 points, and bettors should take the under on this player prop bet.
Indiana Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton OVER 10.5 Assists
After averaging more than 10 assists per game the previous two years, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton took a step back during the regular season. The 6-foot-5 facilitator dished out only 9.2 assists per game in 2024-2025, and he added 18.6 points and 3.5 rebounds to his average nightly output.
Since the start of April, however, Haliburton has been on a roll finding open teammates. He’s finished with 11 or more assists in four of the past six games, including his first two playoff appearances. Expect him to continue this tear on Friday, covering this player prop bet.
Milwaukee Bucks PG Damian Lillard UNDER 3.5 Made 3-Point Field Goals
After missing the Bucks’ final 14 regular-season games, Lillard made his playoff debut on Tuesday. It wasn’t a stellar performance, and Lillard made just four of his 13 shots – including a 2-of-8 performance from the three-point line – as he scored 14 points and dished out seven assists in the loss.
At home, he’s connecting on more than 40 percent of his three-point shots this season. He’s made an average of 3.6 trifectas per game at home, but Lillard has underperformed against the Pacers. Only once in five games did he have more than three triples find their mark. Expect that trend to continue on Friday as he fails to cover this player prop bet.
Best Bet: Indiana (+4.5)
The Bucks are in desperation mode, needing a win against the Pacers to avoid a 0-3 deficit. After the first three minutes of the series opener, Milwaukee has not led a single minute of either contest, showing how dominant Indianapolis has been thus far.
Lillard’s return to the lineup is a reason to believe that Milwaukee can have a better performance in Game 3. I expect this game will be close throughout, and Indiana will either win or lose a tight contest. Bettors should take the Pacers and the points oddsmakers are giving them.
