Milwaukee and Indiana are drumming up a new rivalry
The (16-7) first-place Central Division-leading Milwaukee Bucks take on the (13-8) second-place Indiana Pacers at home at the beer keg in downtown Milwaukee. This all comes after Indiana managed a second-place finish for the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, losing to the Lakers while managing to beat the Bucks in their “final four” game. (Can anyone verify if they got a silver, smaller second-place trophy?)
What really matters now, however, is we are “back to reality: the entertainment that is the NBA regular season. Teams try to win in the NBA regular season to secure a playoff spot; teams try to win playoff games for pride and glory.
The game tips off at a normal time of 7pm CST. From scanning through my paper copy of my TV Guide I don’t see the game being broadcast anywhere nationally. The game should be broadcast live on Bally’s Sports. The Milwaukee Bucks are favored by 6.5 points.
Indiana leads the league in scoring at 128.5 points a game. Milwaukee is second, scoring 122.6 points per game.
You’d have to think this won’t be a defensive clinic.
Check out a Related Game Preview Here
Milwaukee Bucks keys to victory
Play with more intensity.
Brian Samson (Bucks Film Room) has been making some really interesting points about the team needing to play with more intensity. I’d argue they already do; they just wait until the 4th quarter to do it.
That is generally what you’d expect out of a more veteran team.
Check out his post here:
In 2014, Giannis battled Carmelo every play, looking up to the future HOF.
In 2015, MIL upset the 24-0 GSW.
Now, complacency has gotten the best of the Bucks, as they've turned from the hunter to the hunted. It's time they revert back to an old mindset.https://t.co/0MY6HiQmr9
— Bucks Film Room (@BucksFilmRoom) December 13, 2023
Related: Should Bucks fans worry about their new head coach
Keep shooting (and defending) the three: Win the Three Point Battle
The Bucks average 37.4 three-point attempts per game. That was right on par with last season.
Indiana shoots 38.5 attempts per game. Interestingly enough that is almost exactly where Milwaukee was at last year.
The volume matters in shooting the three but the “makes” matter even more. Milwaukee and Indiana are almost a statistical tie when it comes to “makes” (14.7 vs 14.4).
What do all the numbers mean: the team that makes the most threes, and takes the most, is going to win the game. It is, after all, the NBA regular season. Entertainment time.
And the Milwaukee Bucks have Dame. How about like, a 7/10 night from behind the arc?
Box Out: Win the Rebound Battle
Milwaukee is an above-average rebounding team. Indiana is the worst (tied for 29th in the league in team rebounding).
Milwaukee currently averages 34 defensive rebounds a game, tied for 6th overall in the NBA. If the Bucks box-out and keep a pesky Indiana team off of the offensive glass, this bodes well for a Bucks win.
Here is a great Tweet from Brew City Paul. From the “tourney”,
https://twitter.com/brewcitypaul/status/1732229523440017451
The Opponent: The Indiana Pacers
Indiana has been a surprise team in the NBA so far this season. No one expected much from them before the season started and Steve Aschburner from NBA.com thought they, “might be able to push for a play-in tournament bid”.
Their season has certainly been better than that. Seeded 5th in the East so far, the team took second at the inaugural NBA in-season play in tournament. They have won four in a row and have a dynamic, high-scoring offense.
Tyrese Haliburton, acquired with Buddy Hield for Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, has started to become an NBA superstar. He is back and playing well this season after struggling last year with injuries. He leads the team in scoring 26.3 points per game.
Halliburton, who was born in Oshkosh and attended Oshkosh North High school, was drafted 12th by the Kings in the 2020 draft. He also leads the team in assists (12.3 per game) and turnovers (2.5)
Myles Turner is an NBA cheat code when it comes to blocked shots per game. Right now he is averaging 2.1 blocks per game, slightly below his career average. Turner also leads the team in rebounding (8.0 a game).
That is, maybe the one spot Milwaukee truly could exploit Indiana- they don’t have a ton of size.
Indiana added former Denver Nugget Bruce Brown in the off season. He is a good defender and plays a lot (30 minutes a game).
Former Buck Jordan Nwora still plays with the Pacers. Also in that trade was George Hill. The 37 year old is currently not on the roster of an NBA franchise. Hill is still considering retirement.
Things to tell your buddies as you are watching the game
- Indiana is 2-0 vs Milwaukee so far this season.
- The Bucks have five home games in a row here. They then wrap up their season-series with Indiana Jan. 3rd with an odd back-to-back. The Bucks play the Pacers at home on New Year’s Day. They then play Indiana, in Indiana on Jan. 3rd.
- Are we going to get any snow? Wisconsin typically gets 10’ of snow in December. So far this year: bupkiss. What’s up with that?
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