Subscribe
Follow Us
The NBA season heats up with an in-season tournament matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers. Our NBA odds series continues with a Pacers-76ers prediction and pick.
Coming off of their biggest win of the season as the Indiana Pacers took down the Milwaukee Bucks, they had a rough encore performance. On Sunday, they saw their three-game win streak end on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers. Unfortunately, the masterclass of a game Tyrese Haliburton put on went towards a losing effort. The 2023 All-Star put up a 25-point, 17 assist Double-Double. But most remarkable, he did that without a single turnover on the night. Ready to dice this defense again, Haliburton and company will look for some redemption against the 76ers on Tuesday night.
Following an opening night loss, the Philadelphia 76ers have been the league's hottest team. They are on an eight-game winning streak and are off the heels of an eleven-point win over the Indiana Pacers. This win was highlighted by a career-high 50 points from Tyrese Maxey. He drilled seven three-pointers on the night and shot an incredible 62.5% from the field on 32 shots. With this performance and all the momentum in the world from this win streak, the 76ers are ready for a repeat of Sunday night.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Pacers-76ers Odds
Indiana Pacers: +5 (-110)
Philadelphia 76ers: -5 (-110)
Over: 239 (-110)
Under: 239 (-110)
How to Watch Pacers vs. 76ers
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT
TV: Indiana- Bally Sports Indiana Philadelphia- NBC Sports Philadelphia
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Pacers Could Cover The Spread
Surrounded by sharpshooters, the Indiana Pacers have turned into one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA. The Pacers currently hold the second-best marks in the league in both three-pointers made per game with an average of 15.8 and team three-point field goal percentage with 38.9%. Specifically, this effort has been led by Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, Tyrese Haliburton, and Buddy Hield, all of whom are making 2.0 threes or more per game. In addition to this quantity of threes, the quality also follows suit. Indiana has five guys with a 40.0% three-point field goal percentage or better. Their ability to score points from three was on full display Sunday against the 76ers, and similar results will follow on Tuesday.
While the 76ers were at full strength on Sunday, things will look slightly different in this matchup. Philadelphia enters this game with three key players on the injury report. Starting with Nicolas Batum and Kelly Oubre Jr., who will be inactive for this game, really hurts Philadelphia's depth on the wing and takes away some needed offensive production. Lastly, Joel Embiid is listed as “Questionable” for the contest with left hip soreness. These banged-up bodies for the 76ers play into the hands of the Pacers, who do not have a single player listed on their injury report heading into this game.
Why The 76ers Could Cover The Spread
Ever since Nick Nurse arrived in Philadelphia, the 76ers have formed their identity around hard-nosed basketball built on hustle plays. They are at an 8-1 record right now because of this high energy, high effort level of play. The 76ers are tied for first in the league in deflections per game and tied for second in loose balls recovered per game. This overall level of hustle, especially on defense, has led to the 76ers placing first in the league in blocks per game and fifth in the league in steals per game. The heart this team has shown amid the James Harden drama and having a first-year head coach has been extraordinary, and it will most certainly continue on Tuesday.
The 76ers have been playing their best basketball when they are at home in the Wells Fargo Center. At home this season, Philadelphia is 6-0 against the spread. They have put up an average of 123.5 points per game at home and are just decimating their opponents. At home again for this one, the Philadelphia faithful will be out in full force to energize this squad to yet another win.
Final Pacers-76ers Prediction & Pick
Game two of this back-to-back matchup is slated to be a good one. On Sunday, these two teams combined for 163 total points and could have very easily been more. The battle of the Tyrese's was one of the league's best highlights from this year so far. Although the 76ers appear to be the best team in the league, I will go with the underdog Pacers in this one. Very rarely can teams beat teams in back-to-back games in the NBA, so I expect the Pacers to learn from their mistakes on Sunday and capitalize on missed opportunities. Especially with Embiid a little banged up, the Pacers will have the chance to dominate on the inside as well as from beyond the arc. Give me the Pacers and the points in this one.
Final Pacers-76ers Prediction & Pick: Indiana Pacers +5 (-110)
