The Milwaukee Bucks landed the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, beginning April 19 or 20. It's a rematch from last year, when the sixth-seeded Pacers got the best of the third-seeded and injury-depleted Bucks in the first round, four games to two.
Here's what to know about the Bucks' first-round foe:
The Indiana Pacers' likely starting lineup and reserves
Likely starters
- Pascal Siakam, 20.2 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists
- Tyrese Haliburton, 18.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 9.2 apg
- Myles Turner, 15.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.5 apg
- Aaron Nesmith, 12.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.2 apg
- Andrew Nembhard, 10.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.0 apg
Off the bench
- Benedict Mathurin, 12.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.9 apg
- Obi Toppin, 10.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 apg
- T.J. McConnell, 9.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.5 apg
- Jerace Walker, 6.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.4 apg
- Ben Sheppard, 5.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 apg
- Thomas Bryant, 6.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 0.8 apg
Coach: Rick Carlisle (23rd year as head coach, 71-79 playoff record, 1 NBA title)
Regular-season clashes between the Bucks and Pacers
- Nov. 22: Milwaukee 129, Indiana 117: Just like last year, the Bucks and Pacers met in the in-season tournament, but this time the Bucks exacted a measure of revenge after falling in the 2023 semifinals. This meeting came in pool play at Fiserv Forum, and Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded a triple double (37 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists). After a rough start to the year, the win marked Milwaukee's fifth victory in six games. Tyrese Haliburton finished with just 6 points.
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