Pacers-Bucks schedule set, Indy will host first playoff games in five years on April 26, 28
The Pacers' best-of-seven first-round series against the Bucks will begin on Sunday, April 21. Full schedule and TV, plus the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Indiana Pacers are back in the NBA postseason for the first time since 2020.
The 2024 NBA Playoffs officially get underway on Saturday (no, the play-in games do not count) with a four-day slate of games, beginning with Orlando at Cleveland.
Game 1 of Pacers-Bucks starts on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Milwaukee. And it will air nationally on TNT.
Then after Game 2 on Tuesday, the Pacers return home to host their first playoff games since April of 2019. Note the start time for Friday’s game: 5:30 p.m. ET.
Sunday, April 21 at Milwaukee | 7pm ET | TNT | Bally Sports Indiana
Tuesday, April 23 at Milwaukee | 8:30pm ET | NBATV | Bally Sports Indiana
Friday, April 26 at Indianapolis | 5:30pm ET | ESPN | Bally Sports Indiana
Sunday, April 28 at Indianapolis | 7pm ET | TNT | Bally Sports Indiana
Tuesday, April 30 at Milwaukee | 9:30 p.m. ET | TNT | Bally Sports Indiana
Thursday, May 2 at Indianapolis | 6:30 p.m. ET | TNT | Bally Sports Indiana
Saturday, May 4 at Milwaukee | TNT | Bally Sports Indiana*
I’m told Bally Sports Indiana will televise each of the first four games and Game 7, if necessary. They will also have Games 5 and 6 (if necessary) if it is not a network exclusive ABC broadcast. So Pacers fans in central Indiana will have the option to watch the local broadcast.
The Pacers are the 6 seed, the Bucks are No. 3 in the East.
The Pacers went 4-1 versus the Bucks in the regular season. However, the latest meeting was on Jan. 3 and both teams are much different.
Bruce Brown and Buddy Hield were traded away and then Pascal Siakam was added to the Pacers. Meanwhile, the Bucks fired Adrian Griffin and replaced him with Doc Rivers. It’s the first year (and playoff series) that eight-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard is on the Bucks.
The Pacers are 7-3 in their last 10 games while Bucks are 3-7 (which is how they dropped from the 2 to the 3-seed.
Below is a handy graphic of the game schedule for you to save on your phone.
The Big Question: Giannis’ Availability
Giannis Antetokounmpo had games of 54, 37, 64, 30 and 26 points against the Pacers this season. The 64-point effort, back on Dec. 13, was the most in Bucks franchise history.
The Pacers do not have anyone who can truly match up against him, nor do most teams in the league. It’s all about containing Antetokounmpo and keeping him to 35 points rather than 50.
However, his status for this series is the biggest storyline after he suffered a left calf strain on April 9th in a win over the Boston Celtics. This type of injury typically keeps a player out at least a few weeks and so having a week between games is advantageous or all players, but especially for Antetokounmpo given his current situation.
From ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday:
The Milwaukee Bucks are preparing to be without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the start of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Indiana Pacers but are hopeful treatment on his left calf strain will allow him to return sometime later in the series, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
The Pacers, meanwhile, held practice the past two days at the Ascension St. Vincent Center in preparation of Game 1 against the Bucks — with or without him.