Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Prop Pick: Can Bobby Portis Step Up for Banged-Up Bucks in Game 4?
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Prop Pick: Can Bobby Portis Step Up for Banged-Up Bucks in Game 4?
The Bucks and Pacers will meet in game four of the first round of the NBA playoffs from Gainbridge Fieldhouse tonight. The Pacers have taken a 2-1 lead in the series after losing the first game and escaped in overtime last game, winning 121–118 in their first game at home in the series. The Bucks have some work to do if they want to come back in this series, and unfortunately, they will have to do it without their two best players.
BUCKS VS. PACERS GAME 4 DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: April 28, 2024
- Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: TNT
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Prediction
The Bucks were already without Giannis Antetokounmpo in this series due to a calf injury. Now, they will also be without Damian Lillard in game four, who will miss this game with an Achilles injury. Losing both of their top scorers for this game will be a tough hill to climb for the Bucks. Someone will have to step up in their absence, and while it was Khris Middleton last game, I expect we finally see a breakout game from Bobby Portis tonight. If you’ve been following my bets in this series, Bobby Portis‘s name has come up quite a bit. He has not hit his points prop in this series yet, but he has been unbelievably close in all three games. Last game, he was set at 17.5 points and had 17 with plenty of time to go, yet he ended with 17 even after playing all five minutes of overtime.
However, the volume has been there, and he has done well at scoring in the paint, and he will have to be a predominant score for the bucks tonight win or lose. He has attempted 15 or more shots in each game so far and I expect his volume to be closer to 20 field goals or possibly more tonight without Damian Lillard and Giannis.
Portis has played eight games this season without Giannis, and he is averaging 20.4 points per game in those eight. That includes taking the sample size from the first three games of the series that he has gone under. Given that he is at 20.4 points without Giannis and now Lillard is out as well, it should be no hard task for Portis to pass 20 points tonight. This is right where his line is, as he is sitting at 20.5 points tonight.
I think a lot of people expect Middleton to go off given his performance last game, but the Pacers will only be more defensively focused on Middleton because of the last game. I think Portis will eat in the paint tonight and pass 20 points with ease.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers Prop Pick
Pick: Bobby Portis Over 20.5 Points (-105) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.