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The Indiana Pacers (17-16) visit the New Orleans Pelicans (20-12) on Monday night. Action tips off at 8:10 pm ET. Below we continue our NBA odds series with a Pacers-Pelicans prediction and pick.
Indiana has won three of their last five games to bump them into eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are 19-14 against the spread while 56% of their games have gone under. New Orleans has won two straight to maintain their third place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans are 17-15 against the spread while 59% of their games have gone over. This will be the second and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Pacers won the previous matchup 129-122 in Indiana.
Here are the Pacers-Pelicans NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Pacers-Pelicans Odds
Indiana Pacers: +2.5 (-110)
New Orleans Pelicans: -2.5 (-110)
Over: 234 (-110)
Under: 234 (-110)
Why The Pacers Could Cover The Spread
The Pacers have been frisky all season but have really turned a corner over the last few weeks. They arrive in New Orleans tonight fresh off back-to-back road victories over Eastern Conference powerhouses Boston and Miami. New Orleans is a menacing team, but they are missing a few key guys and Indiana is playing some of their best ball of the season.
That strong play starts with the production of point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton is in the midst of a breakout season for the Pacers, averaging 20.7 PPG and 10.5 APG. He’s been efficient on the offensive end as he’s shooting 48% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. For as good as he’s been this season, his production over the last few weeks is especially eye-opening. Across their last five games, the young guard has upped his scoring to 27.4 PPG while maintaining elite playmaking numbers (9.0 APG). He’s coming off two of his best games of the season: a 33-point, eight-assist outing in their win over Boston followed by a 43-point, seven-assists showing in their win over Miami. His recent hot streak is absolutely something to keep in mind before making a Pacers-Pelicans prediction.
While Haliburton gets the majority of the media buzz, veteran wing Buddy Hield has quietly had one of the best seasons of his career. The 30-year-old averages 17.5 PPG and 4.7 RPG. He’s an elite outside shooter who is making 41% of his threes on over nine attempts per game. Hield has been red-hot over their last five games as well, making over four threes per game at a 55% clip. Matched up against the team that drafted him, expect Hield’s floor-stretching abilities to play a major role in a potential Indiana cover.
Why The Pelicans Could Cover The Spread
With New Orleans missing Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, and Zion Williams, they’ll need a number of their role players to step up and carry the load if they want to cover against a frisky Pacers squad. That being said, the Pelicans are a deep team and certainly have the personnel to get it done tonight.
While missing Zion and company hurts, guard CJ McCollum showed last week has can lead his team to a cover when called upon. McCollum scored 40 points in their win over the Spurs with a number of key players sitting. He tacked on eight rebounds and nine assists in the effort. In doing so, CJ proved he can still compete at the highest level when needed. While his numbers have dipped as the third option in New Orleans, McCollum remains a strong all-around guard. With a 19-5-6 line for the season, McCollum provides the Pelicans with a solid baseline and the additional potential to have a breakout game.
New Orleans can’t expect McCollum to have 40 points again tonight so they’ll need someone else to step up and take on some of the scoring load. Down low, that guy has been center Jonas Valanciunas. Valaciunas has averaged 21 PPG and 11.7 RPG across New Orleans’ last three games. He’s shooting 52% from the floor over that span and has notably been red-hot from three. The burley center drained seven of 10 threes in their loss to the Bucks in what was arguably the best game of his career. He scored 37 points and pulled down 18 rebounds and, despite the loss, proved that he can take over a game even in his age-30 season.
Final Pacers-Pelicans Prediction & Pick
With New Orleans missing some key guys tonight, I like Indiana to pull off the upset tonight. They’ve already picked up two big wins over Boston and Miami on their current road trip and I expect them to add New Orleans to that list.
Final Pacers-Pelicans Prediction & Pick: Indiana Pacers +2.5 (-110)