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The Indiana Pacers will pay a visit to Philadelphia to take on the Sixers in a 1PM ET tip on Saturday. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Pacers-Sixers prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
Indiana's most recent outing actually came against Philadelphia, where they lost 131-122 at home. Buddy Hield topped in scoring for the Pacers with 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton added 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. The Pacers are going to finish with the 13th seed in the East, with just the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic having worse records than them.
Meanwhile, the Sixers came off a 119-114 defeat to the Toronto Raptors. Joel Embiid led Philly with 30 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyrese Maxey added 22 points. James Harden had a rough night from the field, going just 3-of-12 from the field for 13 points. But he did dish out 15 assists on the evening.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Pacers-Sixers NBA odds for this Saturday afternoon NBA matchup.
NBA odds: Pacers–Sixers Odds
Indiana Pacers: +14 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers: -14 (-110)
Over: 235.5 (-110)
Under: 235.5 (-110)
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Why the Pacers could cover the spread
It's a pretty wide spread, so there is a good chance Indiana covers this should the Sixers just coast all game long. The Pacers did lose by just nine in their previous encounter, so that's one thing to consider as well. On the season, Indiana is 35-42 against the spread, which is much better than their overall record (25-55).
Haliburton was one of the players Philadelphia considered in trading for Ben Simmons, but they ultimately ended up with James Harden. Perhaps the rising sophomore guard enters Wells Fargo Center with a little extra motivation to show the Sixers and their fans that they really should have thought harder about bringing him in. As a Pacer, Haliburton is proving why everybody was shocked the Sacramento Kings just decided to let him go. In 24 games with Indiana, the 22-year-old is averaging 17.4 points, 9.6 assists, and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 42.0 percent from three.
Aside from those already ruled out for the season (Ricky Rubio, Myles Turner, TJ Warren, and Chris Duarte), the Pacers have also listed Goga Bitazdre (foot) and Jalen Smith (groin) as questionable. Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon (back) also got the questionable tag despite not having played in a game since March 18.
Why the Sixers could cover the spread
Philadelphia could use their last two games of the regular season to build momentum heading into the playoffs, especially since they lost their last outing to a potential first-round opponent in the Toronto Raptors. There could be motivation to finish the season strong with a couple of statement wins, and that may include a blowout that covers this wide 14-point spread against the Pacers. On the season, however, Philly is just 37-42 against the spread.
It seems like building momentum may be the plan for Philadelphia as they don't have any of their rotation fixtures on the injured list for this game. Only Georges Niang is listed as out due to a left patella tendinopathy. The rest are either on two-way or G-League duties. Joel Embiid and James Harden are good to go as they gear up for a run at a championship. Moreover, Embiid may be motivated to pad on more points to win his first scoring title.
The Sixers are still jockeying for playoff positioning. They could finish 3rd or 4th depending on how Milwaukee and Boston's final games play out. Philadelphia might look to avoid falling to 4th, however, since that means they would face the Raptors in the first round. Toronto still has vaccine mandates in place for visiting players. While there is no official word, starting forward Matisse Thybulle was listed as “Ineligible to play” when the Sixers visited Toronto last Thursday, sparking rumors that the defensive stalwart doesn't meet the vaccination standards needed to cross the border. So that may be more added motivation for Philadelphia to try and win their last two games of the regular season.
Final Pacers–Sixers prediction and pick
With such a wide spread, it might be safer to go with the Pacers on this one. While they are capable of it, the Sixers aren't the type of team to blow out teams. They could easily coast to this win if they just want to balance gaining momentum into the playoffs and preserve a little bit of energy for the grueling games begin.
Final Pacers–Sixers Prediction & Pick: Pacers: +14 (-110)
