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The Indiana Pacers are playing their second of a three-game homestand at Bankers Life Fieldhouse against the Atlanta Hawks. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Hawks-Pacers prediction and pick.
The Hawks are currently riding a three-game winning streak en route to the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 37-30. Meanwhile, the Pacers continue to struggle losing two straight games and six of their last ten games for a record of 30-35 and the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Hawks-Pacers odds.
NBA Odds: Hawks-Pacers Odds
Atlanta Hawks -6 (-115)
Indiana Pacers +6 (-105)
Over 239.5 Points (-110)
Under 239.5 Points(-110)
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
Injury Report: Cam Reddish (out) and De’Andre Hunter (out).
Coach Nate McMillan has done an incredible job with the Hawks since being pushed into the head coach position. Despite dealing with injuries to many of their players, the Hawks have been able to manage a winning record and advance all the way to the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.
A major reason for the Hawks' success has been their offense which is currently the 9th best in the league. With a completely healthy roster, the Hawks would have nine players averaging double-digit points for the season.
The team for the most part, however, is being led by Trae Young on the offensive end of the floor as he currently averages 25.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field.
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The area that the Hawks have struggled in is their defensive coverage as they are the 11th worst defensive team in the entire league. That said, the key for the Hawks to cover the spread on Thursday will be to slow down Domantas Sabonis who has been averaging a near triple-double during the Pacers' last three games.
Why The Pacers Could Cover The Spread
Injury Report: T.J. Warren (out), Myles Turner (out), Malcolm Brogdon (out), Jeremy Lamb (out), Goga Bitadze (out), JaKarr Sampson (out), and Edmond Sumner (questionable).
The Pacers continue to be bombarded with injuries that have consequently impacted their ability to win games and find any sort of consistency. In just their last three games, the Pacers have won by 57 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder, lost by 13 points to the Washington Wizards, and lost by 11 points to the Sacramento Kings.
While the team waits for their star players to return from injuries, Coach Nate Bjorkgren will need his main role players off the bench, like T.J. McConnell, Doug McDermott, and Justin Holiday, to step up on both ends of the floor.
Despite being ranked as the 14th best defensive team in the association, the Pacers have not been playing like that as of late and have given up 154 points to the Wizards two games ago. The key for the Pacers to cover the spread against the Hawks will be to play very solid defense as a team as the Hawks have a lot of depth and three-point shooting with Young, Sweet Lou, and Bogdanović to name a few.
Final Hawks-Pacers Prediction & Pick
Looking at the ratings for both teams, the Hawks are a much better offensive team while the Pacers are a much better defensive team. The favorites to cover the spread in this matchup on Thursday is the Hawks as the Pacers are dealing with a number of injuries and have been struggling immensely as of late. That said, the Hawks will likely pick up their fourth consecutive win on Wednesday as the Pacers lose their third-consecutive game and possibly drop down to the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR HAWKS-PACERS: ATL 126, IND 118 (ATL -6)
