Pacers vs. Bucks prediction: NBA odds, picks, best bets for Game 3

Betting connected nan NBA playoffs often requires spot and belief successful thing that has not often happened.

For Giannis Antetokounmpo, it has not occurred successful 3 years. The NBA champion and two-time MVP has mislaid 7 consecutive playoff games.

The Milwaukee Bucks not only are expected to win, but they are five-point location favorites complete nan Indiana Pacers successful Game 3 connected Friday.

Indy fundamentally has dominated nan series truthful far, winning and covering some location games.

The Pacers won nan opener successful blowout manner and past hung connected successful Game 2 aft Milwaukee trim a 15-point shortage successful nan 4th fourth to conscionable 2 points pinch a 13-0 run.

In that game, All-Star defender Damian Lillard returned from a month-long absence and showed understandable rust successful his 37 minutes. I expect a overmuch sharper capacity Friday.

Pacers vs. Bucks prediction for Game 3

I expect nan Bucks to play overmuch amended and make this a series. That is rather nan leap of religion considering really nan first 2 games person unfolded. But betting connected bounce-back performances usually is nan concealed to postseason betting success.

The rationale is that Milwaukee’s play is connected nan line, while nan Pacers fig to person a much comfortable and contented mindset pinch a 2-0 bid lead.

That is why we truthful seldom spot sweeps.

Tyrese Haliburton has led a ascendant Pacers squad complete nan Bucks done 2 games. NBAE via Getty Images

The Bucks fig to beryllium hopeless and inspired by nan location crowd.

That power and strength should make much rebounds, stronger defense and moreover much foul shots.

The betting marketplace understands that and has a shape of a “tax” pinch a higher constituent dispersed than it would if nan bid were tied 1-1.

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I americium 38-28-1 against nan dispersed (ATS) successful this Post sports section, and I americium backing nan Bucks for my adjacent pick.

The business favors them importantly and I judge that outweighs nan point-spread tax.

Antetokounmpo should extremity his playoff drought successful convincing fashion.

PICK: Bucks -5 (-110, Bet365)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Doug Kezirian is simply a New York Post contributor who presently serves arsenic nan Chief Content Officer for Only Players, a sports betting media company. Doug has complete 2 decades of acquisition successful nan betting space, including spending 11 years astatine ESPN arsenic a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s besides nan uncommon characteristic who has documented occurrence – 14th spot successful 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), 2 top-10 finishes successful 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and besides grabbed headlines pinch a $297K triumph connected nan 2021 NFL Draft.