Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks

Last year, the two teams faced off at this stage, with the Pacers securing a 4-2 series win on their way to the Eastern Conference finals, their first appearance since 2014.

Despite a roster lacking extensive postseason experience, the Pacers made waves last season, advancing to the conference finals before being swept 4-0 by the eventual NBA champions, the Boston Celtics.

Expectations were high for Indiana this season, but their early performance was underwhelming, taking 24 games to notch 10 wins. However, by the All-Star break, Rick Carlisle’s squad had turned things around with a 29-23 record, and they surged to finish with 21 wins in their final 30 games, marking their first 50-win season in 10 years.

Following All-Star selections in the past two seasons, Tyrese Haliburton bounced back from a slow start to deliver another stellar performance, averaging 18.6 points and 9.2 assists—ranking third in the league behind Nikola Jokic and Trae Young.

The Pacers capped their regular season with an exciting 126-118 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a game where both teams rested key players as their playoff seeding was already locked in.

Unlike last season’s fifth-place finish, Indiana’s fourth seed this year grants them home-court advantage for this series, and they’ll be keen to start strong on Saturday.