The Indiana Pacers handled the Milwaukee Bucks with little resistance in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series, and we’ve put together three expert player prop picks for Game 2 as Milwaukee seeks redemption at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
Here are three player props for your consideration, including an UNDER on a combination prop for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo (+102) on April 22.
Series Preview: No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks
Game Preview: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. ET
Giannis Antetokounmpo UNDER 18.5 Rebounds + Assists vs. Pacers (+102 at FanDuel)
The best news on the face of the earth to emerge for Milwaukee came on Monday afternoon with Damian Lillard being listed as questionable to compete coming off a blood clot issue in Game 2. As of writing, there’s no official word on Lillard’s status, but without any prior knowledge of what could happen, one would think that the Bucks will simply wait until they return home on Friday to bide him more time. If that doesn’t turn out to be the case and Lillard does in fact suit up on Tuesday, we’re still going to take the UNDER on this combination prop for rebounds and assists for the Greek Freak.
The lack of help around the nine-time All-Star on Saturday was alarming. Antetokounmpo finished with 36 points on 14-of-25 shooting in 38 minutes while the other four starters for Milwaukee combined for 14 points with two players failing to score a single point at all. Three reserves came off the bench to score at least 12 points apiece, but none of that was enough to strike fear in Indiana during any point in that contest.
Antetokounmpo’s 12 rebounds led all players, but his lone assist was the fourth time he’s finished with that many in 2024-25. He had recorded 10 or more in five of his last six appearances to close out the season, but since no one on Milwaukee was offering much assistance, Antetokounmpo’s potential assists were kept to just eight as he tried to cut into the Pacers’ lead by himself. He’s gone UNDER in seven of his last 10 games versus Indiana, and if Lillard sits on Tuesday, you can likely make that eight of 11.
Andrew Nembhard OVER 10.5 Points vs. Bucks (-114 at FanDuel)
The Pacers’ offensive attack is so diverse in scope that it’s going to be difficult to ride OVERs for most of the players during this series with Milwaukee. Six players scored in double digits with only Pascal Siakam dropping 20 or more (25) in Game 1, so it ultimately came down to efficiency as four of the five starters attempted between 12 and 15 shots. Siakam, Myles Turner, and Andrew Nembhard combined to shoot 25-of-40 (62.5 percent) from the field, and if that continues, then not only is everyone on Indiana going to feast, but this series will be over sooner than imagined.
As far as Nembhard’s prop for Game 2 is concerned, the number being set at just 10.5 is kind of wild. He went OVER that number in 15 of the Pacers’ 18 playoff games last season which went all of the way to the conference finals, so perhaps this stems from the fact that he closed out the regular season going UNDER in nine of his last 13 appearances. Bennedict Mathurin is also lurking in the shadows ready to take minutes away from Nembhard the moment his shot isn’t dropping, as well.
Finishing with 11 points isn’t a tall task, though, and the Bucks’ defense was throughly dominated and overwhelmed on Saturday. Nembhard is not a No. 1, No. 2, or maybe even a No. 3 option on Indiana, but he’s going to get his when he’s out there, and he’s gone OVER 10.5 points in seven of his last meetings with Milwaukee dating back to 2023-24.
Kyle Kuzma OVER 10.5 Points vs. Pacers (+100 at FanDuel)
There’s nowhere to go but up for Kyle Kuzma after literally one of the worst postseason performances by a player in league history. Kuzma failed to register a single made shot (0-of-5), point, rebound, assist, steal, or block to become just the sixth player ever to register zero recording stats in a playoff game. Of the six, only Brent Barry played more back in 2005, edging out Kuzma by a mere 37 seconds. The one thing Barry could at least hang his hat on was that his San Antonio Spurs won that day, while Kuzma’s Bucks got blown out.
Milwaukee traded its No. 3 scorer in franchise history in Khris Middleton (albeit an aging and injured Middleton) to the Washington Wizards in order to acquire the services of the 29-year-old Kuzma. His postseason debut not only failed to instill confidence, but it made many wonder if he has anything of value to offer the new-look Bucks with Lillard out of action. Ideally, in a perfect world, he’d step up to be the No. 2 scorer behind Giannis Antetokounmpo until “Dame Time” was set to resume, but who knows anymore.
This wager isn’t done with the mindset that Kuzma can score 11 or more points in Game 2, but that he absolutely needs to score 11 or more points on Tuesday. There’s zero chance he’s going to replicate Saturday’s historically abysmal box score, but anything even closely resembling that or anything that falls well below the already minimal expectations for what he could muster up may send him to the bench once the series shifts to Fiserv Forum. At plus money, it’s at least worth a look.
