The Indiana Pacers hit the road and travel to Oklahoma City on Wednesday night to take on the Thunder at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Indiana continues to win without Victor Oladipo as they have lost just once in their last seven games. The Pacers are coming off a 13-point road win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Thunder struggled to start their life without Russell Westbrook and Paul George but are on a roll right now with three wins in their last four games. OKC is still three games away from hitting the .500 mark this season.
Finding Ways to Win
The Indiana Pacers continue to wait for the return of All-Star guard Victor Oladipo. Oladipo has not played since January but the Pacers have found ways to win. Indiana has won six out of their last seven games and is currently in second place in the Central Division with a 13-7 SU record.
Malcolm Brogdon leads Indiana in scoring at 19.4 points per game this season. Domantas Sabonis is having a double-double season with 18.4 points and 13.1 rebounds per game while T.J. Warren is scoring 17.8 points while leading the Pacers with 1.2 steals per game. Five other Indiana players are averaging at least 8 points per game this season.
Indiana is 16th in the league in scoring at 110.0 points per game this season. The Pacers are ranked 16th in rebounding at 45.1 boards grabbed per contest and they are tied for 9th place in passing at 25.1 dimes per outing. On defense, the Pacers have the 7th best scoring defense in the NBA at 104.6 points per game allowed.
On a Roll
The Oklahoma City Thunder is on some kind of a roll right now with three wins in their last four games including victories in their last two assignments. The Thunder are coming off a 107-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans with Danilo Gallinari scoring 23 points on 8-14 shooting from the floor.
Gallinari leads the Thunder in scoring at 18.5 points per game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is putting up 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while Chris Paul is leading the team in passing at 5.7 dimes per contest. Steven Adams leads the Thunder in rebounding at 9.0 boards per outing while also scoring 9.8 points per game.
The Thunder rank 21st in scoring at 107.5 points per game this season. Oklahoma City is 24th in rebounding at 42.7 boards grabbed per contest and they are 25th in assists at 21.9 dimes per contest. The Thunder have the 11th best scoring defense in the NBA at 108.3 points per game allowed.
Who Wins?
The Pacers are 6-1 SU in their last seven games played. Indiana is 4-5 SU in their nine road games played this season, and 7-3 SU in their last 10 games against the Northwest Division. The Thunder are 3-1 SU in their last four games played. Oklahoma City is 6-4 SU in 10 home games played this season, 10-5 SU in their last 15 games against the Central Division, and 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played in December. Head to head, the Pacers are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Thunder.
The Pacers continue to roll even without Victor Oladipo. Indiana has won seven out of their last eight games played and they are coming off a home win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Seven players scored in double figures with no one scoring more than 19 points in a balanced scoring attack.
The Thunder have managed to win games this season but they are still groping for form with the departure of their top two players from last season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari have proven up to the task but are certainly not the same duo as Russ and PG13. OKC has won three out of its last four games including the last two.
The Thunder are above .500 at home this season while the Pacers below that mark on the road. However, this is an Indiana team that has plenty of weapons on offense and they tough to stop, even away from home. The Pacers blew out the Thunder by 26 points in their first meeting and although I don’t think we’ll see another massacre here, I expect the Pacers to pick up a road win on Wednesday.
Prediction: Indiana Pacers
Other Bets to Make
Indiana is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Pacers are also 4-1 ATS in their last five games played on the road, and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against the Western Conference. Oklahoma City is 6-2 ATS in their last eight games played. The Thunder are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games played at home, and 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Thunder are 4-2 ATS in their last six games played against the Pacers.
Pacers
PK (-110)
Thunder
PK (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 12/04/19
The Pacers have outscored the Thunder by an average of 6.67 points per game in their last three meetings. Indiana defeated Oklahoma City by 26 points in their first meeting of the season last November 12 in Indiana. The Pacers have played well despite missing Victor Oladipo while the Thunder are still looking to find its way after the departure of Westbrook and George. I like the Pacers to win this road game.
Prediction: Pacers PK
The total has gone over in five of Indiana’s last six games played. The over is 5-4 in the Pacers’ nine road games played this season. The total has gone under in 11 out of the 19 games played by the Thunder. The under is 6-4 in Indiana’s 10 home games played this season. Head to head, the total has gone under in each of the last six games between these two teams. The under is also 4-1 in their last five games played in Oklahoma City.
Over
209.5 (-110)
Under
209.5 (-110)
Odds from SportsBetting as of 12/04/19
These teams have combined to score an average of 207.5 points per game in their last 10 meetings and 205.33 points per game in their last three head to head meetings. These are two defensive-minded teams who are in the Top-11 in the league when it comes to playing “D”. On offense, the Pacers and Thunder are in the bottom half of the NBA this season. Both teams are also on road trips and could be weary from all the traveling. The under is 25-12 in the Thunder’s last 37 games against the Central Division and the under is also 13-5 in Indiana’s last 18 games against the Northwest Division.
Prediction: Under 209.5