Milwaukee and Giannis Might be in store for a “Revenge Game”
(If someone could please tell me what Giannis did that warranted an ejection I’d love to hear it! I’ve watched that play now 100 times and I just don’t see it. If you haven’t seen it yet, it is below.)
Giannis has been ejected after receiving his second technical foul. 🤔#FearTheDeer | #NBA pic.twitter.com/UKuAIJJrU7
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) November 9, 2023
The (5-2) first-place Milwaukee Bucks take on the (5-3) second-place Indiana Pacers on the road in Indiana at the GainBridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis. The game against Detroit went fine and the Bucks did come out with a win. But it was too close for many and Detroit did manage to maintain a lead at times. It is still the regular season and Milwaukee is currently the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
The game tips off earlier than usual at 6pm. The game should be broadcast live on Bally’s Sports and NBA TV. Indiana has scored 155 points on a team and has also had 155 scored on them. The Pacers are very “boom or bust”.
This will not be an easy win for Milwaukee. But, even if they don’t prevail, it is still so early it still might not matter as much. The Milwaukee Bucks were 3-1 vs Indiana last season.
Milwaukee Bucks keys to victory
Avoid injury
This still has to be the most important one. We may see our first “load management game” here for some guys. Milwaukee does not want to get banged up and it is hard to blame them. It is so, so, so early and there is still so much NBA season left to go. It really is not a terrible idea.
Up until the Giannis ejection I was convinced he wouldn’t play. But now, why not?
Lillard could sit. It is a road game and he might want to rest up for the game this weekend against Orlando. With the team “busy but not crazy” and playing 7 games in 14 days someone is going to miss here at sometime.
We’ll see. Keep an eye here at WiSportsHeroics for up-to-date information.
Related: Should Bucks fans worry about their new head coach

Keep shooting (and defending) the three
The Bucks average 38.4 point attempts per game. That was right on par with last season.
Indiana shoots 39.9 attempts per game. Interestingly enough this game just might come down to who shoots more threes. Of course you also have to make them.

The Opponent: The Indiana Pacers
Indiana has been a surprise team in the NBA so far this season. At 5-3 they would make the playoffs if they started tomorrow.
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 22.9 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 (11.9 per game) and turnovers (2.7)
Myles Turner is an NBA cheat code when it comes to blocked shots per game. Right now he is only averaging 1.8 blocks per game, slightly below his career average. Turner also leads the team in rebounding (8.5 a game).
That is, maybe the one spot Milwaukee truly could exploit Indiana- they don’t have a ton of size. But Milwaukee is second to last in total team rebounding, barely averaging under 40 team rebounds a game.
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
- According to some quick internet research, the Pacers are a team named after the state of Indiana’s history with the Indianapolis 500’s pace cars. Makes sense to me.
- Larry Bird had played a pretty active role in the Pacers organization. He now is no longer involved with the team. Larry Bird is retired, splitting his time between business ventures in Terre Haute Indiana and Florida.
- This is the first time Milwaukee and Indiana will play. They have three more games left on their 2023-2024 schedule.
- Milwaukee leads the all-time series 115-91.
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