Apr 10, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives for the basket against New Orleans Pelicans center Kylor Kelley (35) in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

After a December 2023 home win over Indiana, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was incensed when the game ball from his career-best and franchise-record 64-point performance mysteriously disappeared.

Jay Croucher and Jay Dinsick preview the Pacers vs. Bucks first-round playoff series, discussing why Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing at a level that could spell trouble for Indiana.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard isn’t sure exactly when he will be playing again. He’s just grateful that moment will come sooner than anyone could have reasonably expected.

Ausar Thompson, the Detroit Pistons’ high-flying 22-year-old wing, was diagnosed with a blood clot in March 2024 and did not return to the court until November. Chris Bosh, who played with the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat and retired in 2019, had a pulmonary embolism before eventually being diagnosed with DVT.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard is off blood-thinning medication and has been cleared for full basketball activity after suffering deep-vein thrombosis.

Indiana will have home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since 2014 after winning 50 games and earning the fourth seed. The Pacers finished the regular season 29-11 at home, where they were also 6-0 over the first two rounds of last season’s playoffs.

The Pacers went 4-1 in the five meetings last season, followed by a 4-2 triumph in the first round. Things flipped this season, with the Bucks taking three of four (and the loss coming on Haliburton’s four-point play with three seconds left).