The betting public is all-in on the Indiana Pacers.
Tyrese Haliburton and Co. are currently garnering a whopping 90 percent of bets and 88 percent of the handle to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, making them the most bet-on team at BetMGM Sportsbook to advance.
The Pacers opened as a massive +260 underdog against the Bucks, but Giannis Antetokounmpo’s calf injury has shifted the odds in their favor.
Indiana is now just +100 to win the series versus Milwaukee’s -120 figure.
Antetokounmpo is expected to miss at least the start of the series after suffering a calf strain against the Celtics on April 9.
The former NBA MVP missed the Bucks’ final three regular-season games, which included two consecutive defeats to end the season, allowing the Knicks to leapfrog them for the No. 2 seed in the conference.
Even with Antetokounmpo healthy, the Bucks haven’t inspired much confidence for bettors this season.
Milwaukee went 35-46-1 against the spread (ATS) this season, which was tied with the Toronto Raptors for the fifth-worst record ATS mark in the league.
With 49 wins, the Bucks also fell short of their 53.5 preseason over/under total.
The Pacers, on the other hand, overachieved preseason expectations on all counts, going 44-36-3 ATS and well over their 38.5 preseason over/under with 47 wins.
The Bucks fired Adrian Griffin in January and replaced him with Doc Rivers despite the former’s 30-13 record as head coach.
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But they were merely mediocre under Rivers in the regular season, going 17-19.
Despite several months now of underwhelming play and Antetokounmpo’s injury, the Bucks are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns (+2000) for the sixth-best odds to win the NBA Finals at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Whoever survives the Bucks-Pacers series will take on the winner of the Knicks’ series against the 76ers.
