Bucks vs. Pacers Preview, Start Time, TV Schedule & Injury Report

Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Bucks will be taking on the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their first round playoff series. After taking Game 1 at home in a certified hood classic, the Bucks dropped their next three matchups and entered win-or-go-home territory.

Where We’re At

It’s difficult to find the words to describe how tough of a scene the Bucks are facing right now. After last year’s shocking first round gentleman’s sweep against the 8-seed Miami Heat, the Bucks are one game away from another year with the same result. They haven’t just been stung by an injury bug, they’ve been attacked by a swarm of them. Not having Giannis Antetokounmpo from a leg injury and THEN also losing Damian Lillard to a leg injury is next-level devastating. I’m not sure if someone in Milwaukee sold the team’s soul for the 2021 championship, but it wouldn’t take much to convince me at this point.

Game 4 was an ultra-competitive, back-and-forth slugfest. Neither team led by more than five in a completely even first quarter, and the Pacers were up by three at the half. Indiana extended its lead to double digits in the third, but the Bucks cut it to six with a 7-0 run to begin the final quarter. After that, the Pacers woke up, turned on the jets and ran away with it. Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley carried the Bucks’ offense, each scoring 20+. However, no other starter had double digits.

Injury Report

For the Bucks, Dame and Giannis are doubtful for Tuesday’s game. Khris Middleton and Patrick Beverley are both likely with minor injuries.

For Indiana, Bennedict Mathurin is out for the season, and Tyrese Haliburton is questionable with back spasms.

Player To Watch

Even though he probably didn’t enter this series expecting to be the Bucks’ primary scoring option, Khris Middleton has completely played his heart out. He averaged 26 points in the first four games, highlighted by a dazzling 42-point outing in Game 3’s devastating OT loss. It’s hard to picture a reality where the Bucks win Game 5 without him balling out, so he’s definitely the guy to keep an eye on for tonight’s contest.

How To Watch

TNT and Bally Sports Wisconsin at 8:30 PM CDT.

Playback Streaming

We have 20 VIP passes for tonight on Playback, allowing you to stream the game even without a League Pass or cable subscription from your device. You can claim one of them by creating your account (instructions below) and then commenting below with the answer to the following trivia question, alongside your Playback user name. The stream will go live at 8:30 PM Central tonight, and the first 20 commenters who get it right will have VIP status upon logging into the stream at that time.

The question is: besides Giannis, name of a Buck who was born in a foreign country.