Pacers vs. Bucks NBA Playoffs: Betting Odds, Series Prediction, and Best Bet

The 2025 NBA Playoffs are almost here, with first-round action tipping off on Saturday, April 19th.

Among Saturday's matchups is a 4 vs. 5 date between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks. Just two games separated these division rivals in the regular season, and this will be a rematch of last year's opening round -- a series the Pacers won 4-2.

Indiana ousted Milwaukee from last year's postseason, but the Bucks responded by taking three of four regular season meetings in 2025. However, all four of those games came with Damian Lillard active, and his status is still very-much in the air for the playoffs.

Let's dive into the NBA playoff odds on FanDuel Sportsbook and break down the best bet for the Pacers vs. Bucks playoff series.

All NBA betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Pacers vs. Bucks Series Betting Odds

The Pacers are moderate favorites in this series, though it does have -192 odds to go over 5.5 games.

Best Bet for Pacers vs. Bucks NBA Playoff Series

Bucks to Win Series (+180)

It's not exactly surprising to see Milwaukee as the underdog; the Pacers are the higher seed, after all.

But to see Indiana favored so heavily? That's surprising to me, even if we don't have much clarity on Damian Lillard's health.

That's because the Bucks still have Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Greek Freak willed his squad to a 10-4 record with Lillard out the final 14 games of the regular season. That includes eight straight wins to open up the month of April, a span during which Milwaukee's had the league's best offensive rating.

In total since Lillard went out, the Bucks rank 10th in net rating (+5.3), right behind Indiana (+7.6) over that stretch.

Dame's biggest impact comes on the offensive end, so to see the Bucks have so much success without him bodes well for their chances against Indiana. That's especially true given the Pacers' defensive limitations. Despite ranking in the top 10 in defensive rating post-All-Star Break, the Pacers permitted the fourth-highest rate of at-rim field goal attempts. They were second-best in at-rim field goal percentage allowed, but I'm not sure that's going to hold up against a team like Milwaukee.

Since the All-Star break, the Bucks have the second-highest at-rim field goal percentage in the league. Giannis is a big part of that, but we've seen guys like Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and Kyle Kuzma post above-average efficiency marks inside.

That's the sort of interior depth Milwaukee didn't have when these sides met in last year's playoffs. With Antetokounmpo sidelined, Milwaukee got just 23.5% of their shots at the rim and shot just 62% on such looks against the Pacers. With Giannis on the floor but Dame off this season, the Bucks have a 29% rim frequency and have shot 73% on those attempts. Those marks would rank 10th and 1st, respectively, over the course of this full season.

Defense was also an issue for the Bucks last playoffs, but the Indiana offense hasn't been as scary since the All-Star break. They ranked 13th in offensive rating over the second half of the year. Milwaukee hasn't been especially impressive defensively over the second half, but they've held opponents to just 111.2 points per 100 possessions with Lillard off the floor this season. That would be a top-10 mark league-wide.

At the end of the day, even if the Bucks are without Lillard in this series, they still have Giannis. The Greak Freak has consistently feasted against the Pacers of late, averaging 36.8 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.3 assists in nine head-to-head matchups the past two seasons. After injury-plagued postseasons the last two years, a healthy Giannis is unlikely to go quietly this season. I'll take the Bucks to win this series on the back of their two-time MVP.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.