History Proves Bucks Will Have Easier Time Handling Pacers in Playoffs

The Bucks feel much more confident about their chances to beat the Pacers this year than they did last year.

Mar 15, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket against Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the fourth quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games last year in the first round of the playoffs. It was not how they envisioned the playoffs turning out.

Unfortunately for them, Giannis Antetokounmpo was not available for the entire series. He missed the playoffs because of a calf injury, and that hurt the Bucks' chances of winning the series.

Other than that injury, the Bucks did not play well against the Pacers in the regular season. They were just 4-1, including a loss in the NBA Cup while in Las Vegas.

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While the Bucks have not played well against the top three seeds in the East, they have fared much better against the Pacers. Despite going 0-10 in the regular season against the Cavs, Celtics, and Knicks, they went 3-1 against the Pacers.

That one win was on a last-second shot from Tyrese Haliburton that turned into a four-point play. Conceivably, the Bucks could have swept them this year.

The Pacers have been playing some of their best basketball at the end of the season, so the regular season matchups might not matter as much. Still, that should give Milwaukee some confidence.

Not having Damian Lillard for this series would be devastating for the Bucks. It would be the second time in as many years that one of their two best players would miss a series against the Pacers.

Milwaukee has to keep up with the Pacers offensively. The Pacers are known as an offensive team, so they have to be able to match that output.

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The Bucks are hoping that the season series helps them knock off Indiana this time, even though the Pacers have home-court advantage this year. The roles were flipped last season.

If Lillard is able to return, they should feel very good about their chances to advance to the second round. If he is unable to return in time, it's going to be very tough for them to win this series.

Regardless, this is a series that could get chippy. These two teams don't like each other, so expect to see a lot of emotion throughout the series.

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