Indiana Pacers vs Philadelphia 76ers 12/14/18 NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Indiana Pacers take their five game win streak to the Wells Fargo Center as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

Red Hot Pacers

The Indiana Pacers survived 11 games without All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, going 7-4 in his absence. With ‘Dipo back in their most recent game, the Pacers beat the Bucks by 16 points. That win was the fifth in a row for the Pacers who are now 18-10 on the season.

Oladipo scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of action for the Pacers. His absence has been a blessing in disguise a players like Bojan Bogdanovic, Domantas Sabonis, Darren Collison, Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young have stepped up. With Oladipo back in the fold, the Pacers should now become a deadlier team.

Trust The Process

For several seasons, the Sixers were the doormat of the NBA but even during the trying times, they always believed in their slogan: Trust the Process. After five years, the Sixers made the playoffs last season and with their dynamic duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons only getting better, the Sixers have become serious contenders especially since they traded for Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Butler has been impressive for the Sixers as he’s already come up with a pair of game winners for his new team. Butler is averaging 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. As for Embiid, he did complain about his new role with Butler aboard. However, Embiid came up big during the loss to the Nets , scoring 33 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and issuing 6 assists to assert his status as the Sixers’ top player.

Who Wins?

The Pacers and Sixers have played in a total of 176 regular season games. Philadelphia has the upperhand in the series 98-78 but Indiana has won 10 out of the last 13 games between these teams. The Sixers though beat the Pacers in their first meeting of the current season 100-94 last November 7th in Indiana.

Had this game taken place before Wednesday, there’s no doubt that I would be picking the Sixers who were then a league best 14-1 at home. However, with Butler missing Wednesday’s game against lowly Brooklyn, the Sixers lost. So if the Nets can beat the Butler-less Sixers, then why can’t the Pacers?

Indiana has gotten their superstar back from injury. After missing 11 games due to an ankle injury, Victor Oladipo returned in the Pacers’ last game against the Bucks. Oladipo scored only 12 points but grabbed 10 boards. It was not surely his best night but his mere presence seemed to give Indiana more confidence. The result? The Pacers beat the Milwaukee Bucks by 16 points. Wow.

Other Bets To Make

Indiana is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Pacers a 6-7-1 ATS on the road this season. The Sixers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games played. Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in their last five home games. Head to head, the Pacers are 14-4 SU in their last 18 meetings.

The under is 5-0 in the Pacers’ last five games played. The total has also gone under in four out of the last five games for the Pacers. The under is also 4-1 in Philadelphia’s last e five games. Head to head, the under is 4-2 in their last even meetings.