How to Watch Pacers vs Bucks Playoff Game 1: TV Channel, Predictions, More

The Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks are set to face each other in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the second consecutive season. During the regular season, the Pacers lost the season series with only one win against the Bucks, with their one win against the Bucks a one-point victory on March 11.

The Pacers enter the playoffs as the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round after a 50-32 regular season record. The Bucks finished as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference after a 48-34 regular season record.

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How to Watch

The two teams will face off in the first game of the series on April 19 at 1 p.m. EST, 12 p.m. CT, and 10 a.m. PST. The game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse will be aired on ESPN. Michael Grady will be the primary play-by-play voice, and will be joined by a familiar voice to Indiana basketball fans in Fever coach Stephanie White.

Predictions

The Indiana Pacers are the home team and also have the advantage of Damian Lillard being out for Game 1. The Pacers are relatively healthy, so they seem to be in a prime spot to win the game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo will have something to say about that, however, given that he missed the series between the two teams last season. The matchup between Giannis and Pascal Siakam will likely be a huge part of the series, and will be especially huge as long as Lillard is out.

Fortunately for the Pacers, they seem to have a decent advantage almost everywhere else, a big reason why they finished higher in the standings despite not having a player of the caliber of Giannis.

With a huge advantage at point guard with Tyrese Halliburton and no Lillard, the Pacers should take advantage of the Bucks needing some time to adjust to life without Lillard at point guard.

The wing matchups will also be a huge part of the first game and the series going forward. The role players feel relatively equal between the two teams, but with the mantra of role players being better at home, that gives the Pacers another advantage in this game.

Pacers 117 - Bucks 109

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The biggest storyline of the series will be when Damian Lillard returns. He was cleared to return from his blood clot, but how long it will take for him to ramp up and fully return is the real question.

If the Pacers take care of business at home and go up 2-0 in the series, they might need to be ready for a sudden Lillard return. The Pacers have plenty of firepower to overcome the sudden injection of talent into the lineup, but a Lillard return will certainly complicate things regarding how the series concludes.

For more news and notes on the Indiana Pacers, head on over to Indiana Pacers on SI.