The betting public took notice of the Pacers, who ended up in the red for the 2024-25 season. Still, Indiana has become an impressive NBA betting franchise on the upswing. They are no longer a team ignored by the NBA board. Under the leadership of fourth-year head coach Rick Carlisle, the Indiana Pacers have improved every campaign. Accordingly, the Pacers ended up as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Indiana does not have a dominant superstar but instead relies on a strong team format for its success.
2025 NBA Playoffs First Round Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
| Date and Time: | Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 7 p.m. ET. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks | +4½ -110 | 228½ -115 | +160 |  |
| Indiana Pacers | -4½ -110 | 228½ -105 | -180 | |
| ||||
Indiana Pacers Series Schedule
- Game 2: Bucks at Pacers | Tuesday, April 22, 7 p.m. | ESPN
- Game 3: Pacers at Bucks | Friday, April 25, 8 p.m. | ESPN
- Game 4: Pacers at Bucks | Sunday, April 27, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN
- Game 5: Bucks at Pacers | Tuesday, April 29, TBD | TBD *
- Game 6: Pacers at Bucks | Friday, May 2, TBD | TBD *
- Game 7: Bucks at Pacers | Sunday, May 4, TBD | TBD *
Indiana Pacers Head Coach
Head coach Rick Carlisle is one of the most accomplished leaders in NBA history. Previously, Carlisle was the 2002 NBA Coach of the Year and led the 2011 Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 NBA championship. He is best known for leading Dallas to a franchise renaissance with owner Mark Cuban. Overall, Carlisle has a career online betting record of 993-860 in the regular season.
Indiana Pacers Key Players
Indiana’s key contributor, SG Bennedict Mathurin, averaged 16.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Meanwhile, the Pacers’ C Myles Turner was another asset. Turner averaged 15.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
F Pascal Siakam was a key contributor to the 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA championship team. Also, he is a 3-time NBA All-Star, including this season. This season, Siakam averaged 20.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Concurrently, PF Tyrese Haliburton is a 2-time NBA All-Star. This season, Haliburton averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per contest.
Indiana Pacers Record, Metrics & History
Overall, Indiana’s NBA metrics were 7th for scoring offense, 3rd for field goal percentage, 9th for 3-point field goal percentage, 9th for free throw percentage, and 28th for offensive rebounding. While on defense, the Pacers’ metrics were 19th for scoring defense, 23rd for field goal percentage permitted, 9th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 23rd for defensive rebounding.
The Indiana Pacers’ final regular season record was 50-32 straight up, 36-45-1 against the spread, and 43-36 over/under the NBA betting total. As a result, Indiana was fourth in the Eastern Conference playoff standings, 14 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pacers struggled for their first dozen years in the new league. They only made the playoffs twice. Also, they didn’t become a consistent contender until the 1990s. That’s when the arrival of Reggie Miller made the Pacers one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Hence, the team ended up making seven straight playoff appearances. Miller led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals twice. But they lost in seven games to the New York Knicks in 1994. And then they fell in seven games to the Orlando Magic in 1995.
Indiana did finally win the Eastern Conference in 2000. Larry Bird led the Pacers to a 56-26 record. Correlate that Miller, Jalen Rose, Mark Jackson, and Rik Smits finally knocked off the Knicks to make the NBA Finals. However, they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals.