The Milwaukee Bucks are back in action this week, and the Deer are on the hunt for another championship-contending season. Led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, elite clutch Point Guard Dame Lillard, and Milwaukee's Official Hype Man, Bobby Portis, the team looks to avenge last season's early playoff exit and bring the Larry O'Brien Trophy home to the Cream City.

 

That's right, Bucks-ketball season is in the air! And while it's always "Bucks in Six," here are our top ten Bucks home matchup picks for the 2024-25 season.

 

Milwaukee Bucks Game Crowd

Rivalries

Rivalry games bring the energy and create an atmosphere thick with tension. No matter where these teams are in the standings, you can expect some fireworks at these games.

 

Chicago Bulls

November 20, 2024 | 6:30 p.m.

Any discussion of rivalries and Milwaukee sports begins with Chicago. Sitting just 90 miles from Milwaukee, the I-94 series draws fans from both franchises to Fiserv Forum to witness what, over the past decade, has developed into a rivalry. From the contentious 2014-15 playoff series that included a Giannis-Dunleavy spat to Grayson Allen's hard foul on Alex Caruso in 2021-22, this one's got a little heat to it. Headlined by a young but talented core of Lonzo Ball, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Josh Giddy, the veteran-led Bucks will have to contend with the energy, intensity and depth of what could turn out to be a surprisingly deep team.

 

The Bucks' first matchup with the Bulls takes place early in the season, with the home opener on October 25. So, to give you a little time to plan, we suggest the later November 20 game.

 

Indiana Pacers

March 15, 2025 | 7 p.m.

Most rivalries arrive quietly, slowly building over the years, fostered by familiarity and ignited by long-time competitors who know how to get under each other's skin.

 

Not this one.

 

Bucks-Pacers announced itself as a rivalry in December of 2023. After a dominant performance by the Bucks in a dominant but contentious 140-126 win over Indiana on a night where Giannis set a new career high with 64 points, one of the Pacers players ran off with the game ball, customarily reserved for key milestones. What unfolded then was pure drama that fuels rivalries. A frustrated Giannis made his way down the tunnel to the Pacers' locker room to retrieve the game ball, causing a stir amongst national media pundits and sparking instantaneous reaction across social media, with seemingly everyone weighing in on the topic.

 

Since then, the Pacers have had the Bucks' number, using their youth to push the pace (no pun intended) and set a high-scoring tempo that didn't suit Milwaukee's more veteran lineup. Indiana bested the Bucks in the semifinals of the in-season tournament, then again, a few months later, in a 4-2 playoff series win led by Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner, but, most notably, did not include Giannis and only featured Dame Lillard for four of the six games.

 

Some rivalries burn out faster than others, but this one feels like it's here to stay. Get your tickets to see a rivalry renewed here!

 

 

Miami Heat

February 23, 2025 | 6 p.m.

 

The contentious relationship between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat is slightly more nuanced. Miami burst Milwaukee's bubble in 2020, sending the Eastern Conference's top seed home in just the second round of the tournament, leading to widespread speculation on the future of Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, with many pundits projecting Miami as a landing destination for the superstar.

 

The Bucks didn't have to wait long to exact their revenge. In 2021, after a shaky Game 1, the Antetokounmpo--fresh off a five-year extension-- and the Bucks dominated Miami, cruising to a 4-1 series win en route to the team's first championship since 1971.

 

Fast-forward two years, and it seemed all but certain that long-time Blazer Dame Lillard was ticketed for South Beach. That was until Milwaukee swooped in under the radar, pulling off a trade that landed the clutch playmaker in a Bucks uni to kick off the 2023-24 season, once again bringing the tensions between the two clubs to the fore.

 

See the next chapter of this rivalry unfold live at Fiserv Forum on February 23! Find your tickets here!

 

FiservForum1

Novelties

There are some games that, while they feature highlight-worthy hoops, just mean just a little bit more. From Hall of Fame matchups to Finals rematches, these are a few you have to see.
 

 

Phoenix Suns

April 1, 2025 | 7 p.m.

 

If you listen closely, as you walk through Deer District or around the Fiserv Forum concourses, you can hear the echoing chants of "Bucks in Six." Any true Bucks fan will get chills seeing the footage of fans packed in Deer District for Game 6 and the scenes of the Bucks hoisting their first Larry O'Brien Trophy in 50 years. But there, in the background of these joyous celebrations, is always the Finals opponent, the Phoenix Suns.

 

Phoenix looks different now. Chris Paul has been replaced by the star power of Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to pair with Devin Booker's playmaking abilities. The Suns have high hopes for the season, with legitimate championship aspirations. But for Bucks fans, the Suns will always remind them of champagne, confetti and parades. Find your tickets here!

 


Los Angeles Lakers

March 13, 2025 | 6:30 p.m.

 

The discussion of generational players in the post-Kobe era leads with LeBron James. With four titles, ten trips to the Finals, four MVPs and the NBA's all-time leading scorer, the future Hall-of-Famer is a must-watch basketball every time he steps on the court.

 

Coming into Milwaukee at peak playoff tune-up time, this showcase promises some tantalizing matchups, too. With Giannis-LeBron, Bobby Portis-Anthony Davis and Dame Lillard-D'Angelo Russell all as possibilities, this is one that you're going to want to circle on your calendar.

 

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Top-Flight Hoops

Marquee matchups. Potential playoff matchups. Eastern Conference faceoffs. Call these games what you will, but these highly anticipated games featuring the upper-echelon beasts of the East will have you at the edge of your seat.

 

Boston Celtics

November 10, 2024 | 2:30 p.m.

 

They're the reigning champs. The Boston Celtics will roll into Milwaukee on November 10 for one of the Bucks' toughest early-season tests. The Celtics, featuring the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and former Buck defensive maestro Jrue Holiday, will visit Fiserv Forum for their one road game against the Bucks, still riding high off the team's first championship since 2011.

 

In recent years, the Bucks and Celtics have locked horns quite a bit in the playoffs. The two teams have played three times in the past six seasons, with two of those three series going the distance to a decisive Game 7. Who knows? Maybe this year, the two meet again in the postseason. See the lucky Bucks live!

 

 

Philadelphia 76ers

January 19, 2025 | 6 p.m.

 

It's a sneaky NBA rivalry that never seems to culminate in a playoff faceoff. The Bucks and the 76ers have dueled year in and year out since Giannis' arrival as one of the best basketball players in the world. From the "Trust the Process" era Sixers to the James Harden experiment season, the two teams have played incredibly close, competitive games. Headlined by post-play and elite-tier passing for open threes from the team's big men, including Joel Embiid and Al Horford for the 76ers and Giannis, Bobby and Brook Lopez for the Bucks, these games are almost always physical battles that come down to the wire.

 

Get a preview when the Bucks take on the 76ers to open the 2024-25 NBA season on the road in Philadelphia! Get your tix here.

 

 

New York Knicks

March 28, 2025 | 7 p.m.

 

Did we need to remind you that Giannis jumped OVER a New York Knick? No, we probably didn't need to. But we wanted to bring it up anyway.

 

The New York Knicks have changed quite a bit since the game in 2018 that unveiled Giannis as a riddle for the rest of the NBA to solve, including just a few weeks ago when the Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns. The team moved a ton of assets, including starting staple Julius Randle and former Buck Donte DiVincenzo, as well as a number of other picks and players to bring the Minnesota big man to the Big Apple to pair alongside Jalen Brunson.

 

Are the Knicks contenders or pretenders? Find out for yourself when they come to Milwaukee on March 28.


fans in a crowd cheering for the Bucks in playoffs at the Deer District

Potential Finals Previews

We've scouted them all. Or we just looked at last year's Western Conference Finals matchup. You be the judge. Amongst the contenders and pretenders, here are the two rising stars in our west that we could see facing the Bucks in the Finals.

 

Minnesota Timberwolves

April 8, 2025 | 7 p.m.

 

The Minnesota Timberwolves ended the 2023-24 season just one step away from the franchise's first-ever Finals appearance, and in 2024-25, the club seems poised to take the next step. Headlined by rising superstar Anthony Edwards alongside a talented lineup including Rudy Gobert and new additions Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, the T-Wolves appear to have a varied offensive attack backed by a stout defense that will make this border battle a challenge for the Bucks.

 

See the Kings of the North test their mettle against one another and tune up for the playoffs in one of the last regular season games of the season. Get your tickets today!

 

Dallas Mavericks

March 5, 2025 | 8:30 p.m.

 

Another game with marquee matchups all over the court, the NBA's newly anointed superteam storms into Milwaukee at the beginning of March. After falling short in last year's NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, the dynamic duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic has now added a maverick star presence with four NBA championships from the Golden State Warriors in the form of Klay Thompson. Promising defensive matchups, including Giannis-Luka Doncic, Dame Lillard-Kyrie Irving and Khris Middleton-Klay Thompson, the two teams' star-studded lineups will bring a playoff intensity to Fiserv Forum.

 

Bring the energy! Get your tickets today.

 

Bucks Play at Fiserv Forum

Get in the Game!

Gear up for another high-flying, adrenaline-inducing season of Bucks basketball with everything you need to plan your trip and cheer the Deer at your home away from home, Fiserv Forum. Book your stay today!

 

Bobby Portis

A Note From the Office of Milwaukee's Official Hype Man:

Bobby's back for the 2024-25 season! Check out the Bucks' big man as he explores the region's biggest convention center, Baird Center. Now, featuring more than 1.3 million square feet and a 300,000 sq. ft. exhibition space, explore Baird Center with Bobby and Wisconsin Center District President and CEO, Marty Brooks to discover the newly expanded space just blocks from Fiserv Forum.

See you soon, Bucks fans!