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The Indiana Pacers travel to New York on Wednesday to face-off against the Brooklyn Nets. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Pacers-Nets prediction and pick.
The Pacers hold an overall record of 12-12, but they are 11-13 against the spread. Indiana is coming off a loss to the Utah Jazz.
The Nets stand at 14-12 overall, and they are only 10-16 against the spread. The Nets played on Tuesday in Detroit and fell to the Pistons.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Pacers-Nets odds.
NBA Odds: Pacers-Nets Odds
Indiana Pacers +1.5 (-110)
Brooklyn Nets -1.5 (-110)
Over 235 Points (-110)
Under 235 Points (-110)
Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread
At the moment, the Nets are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at the two ends of the basketball court.
On the offensive end, they put up points with the best teams in the league, averaging the most PPG since the Beard came to Brooklyn.
They currently lead the league in field-goal percentage and true-shooting percentage. The Nets hold the third-highest offensive efficiency in the league, behind only the Clippers and Bucks. Brooklyn has defeated both of those teams the past few weeks.
The three-pointer has obviously been key for Brooklyn. The Nets get 36.3% of their points from deep, the 10th-highest figure in the league.
Against a Pacers defense that has struggled to guard the three-point line and has allowed opponents to average the highest three-point percentage, Brooklyn holds the upper hand here.
Indiana's offense has been league average in almost every meaningful stat. The Nets have proven capable of beating teams with much more firepower (Clippers, Bucks, Hawks).
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The key for Brooklyn here will be to turn this game into an offensive showcase and attempt to shoot Indiana off the floor.
Why The Pacers Could Cover The Spread
Brooklyn has been terrible at covering spreads since they traded for James Harden. Before the Harden trade, Brooklyn was 6-7 against the spread. Since then, they are only 4-9.
Indiana has lost five of their last six, but most of those matchups were against quality teams that are on a tear.
The Pacers' defeats have come to three top teams in the league (Bucks, Sixers, Jazz) and two teams that are in the midst of hot stretches (Pelicans, Hornets). At the moment, Brooklyn fits neither of those categories.
Though the Pacers offense has been middle tier, this Brooklyn defense has made plenty of weaker offenses look unstoppable.
A prime example is Tuesday night's matchup. Against a Detroit team that is in the bottom five in offensive efficiency rating, Brooklyn gave up 122 points. The Nets defense hasn't held a team to below 120 points just twice since the Harden trade.
The focus for the Pacers here is limiting the Nets from getting the most efficient shots in the game: three-pointers, free throws, and paint buckets.
I like Indiana's chances if they force Kyrie Irving and James Harden into shooting tough shots on the second night of a back-to-back. They'll make some, but the Pacers should be able to keep up on the offensive end with those looks.
Final Pacers-Nets Prediction & Pick
While both teams are slumping, I can't back a Nets team that looked defeated less than 24 hours ago. The Pacers depth should be enough to handle a Brooklyn team without Durant. Barring a Harden or Kyrie masterclass, I can't see Brooklyn bouncing back so quickly from yet another brutal loss. I'll take the Pacers to end their losing streak and continue the Nets' on-court woes.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: IND 119, BKN 114 (IND +1.5)
