Indiana 4th Eastern Conference45-28
Milwaukee 1st Eastern Conference56-17
ESPN, FSN, Sportsnet

Indiana @ Milwaukee preview

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Last Meeting ( Feb 12, 2020 ) Milwaukee 111, Indiana 118


The Milwaukee Bucks don't lose often, and it comes as a bit of a shock when they struggle on the offensive end. The Bucks will try to avoid their first two-game slide of the season and bounce back from their lowest scoring effort of 2019-20 when they host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Milwaukee was held to 93 points in a win at Charlotte on Sunday to miss triple digits for the first time this season and then went 7-of-34 from 3-point range and totaled 37 points in the second half in a 105-89 setback at Miami on Monday. "It was a tough game," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters after the loss. "The physicality and defensive activity from both teams was very good. Credit to Miami, they played really well on both ends and made some tough shots. It just wasn't our night. It was a slugfest, a lot of good defense." The Bucks, who embark on a three-game road trip that will pit them against two of the top teams in the Western Conference - the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets - after Wednesday, are taking on a Pacers squad that pushed its winning streak to four in a row with a 116-111 triumph at San Antonio on Monday. Indiana is responsible for one of Milwaukee's nine losses with a 118-111 home win over the Bucks before the All-Star break on Feb. 12.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN, FS Indiana, FS Wisconsin, Sportsnet One

ABOUT THE PACERS (37-24): Indiana took the first two stops of a five-game trip while getting a big boost from small forward T.J. Warren, who is averaging 26.5 points on 22-of-34 shooting over the two contests. "Yeah, I'm just in a good rhythm, just staying aggressive," Warren, who scored 35 points on 16-of-19 in the Feb. 12 meeting, told reporters after Monday's win. "My guards and my teammates do a good job of just finding me. Me cutting and just finding the open spots and me getting out on transition, really just compliment my game and I want to continue that." Point guard Malcolm Brogdon is right behind Warren at an average of 24 points over the last two games.

ABOUT THE BUCKS (52-9): Superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was held to a season-low 13 points on 6-of-18 shooting Monday after carrying the team with 41 points, 20 rebounds and six assists at Charlotte on Sunday. "You're going to win some games and you're going to lose some games," Antetokounmpo told reporters after the loss. "We're not going to go 82-0. Miami is a great team. They came out and played really hard tonight, and we're definitely going to play them again at some point and we'll have to play better and play hard." All-Star forward Khris Middleton (neck) returned from a two-game absence on Monday and managed 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bucks PG Eric Bledsoe, who averages 15.3 points, was held to single digits in each of the last three games.

2. Pacers SG Victor Oladipo (right knee) sat out Monday and is day-to-day.

3. Milwaukee cruised past Indiana 117-89 at home on Dec. 22 and took four of the last five meetings.

PREDICTION: Bucks 124, Pacers 112

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