PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* NBA Game of the Day >> 4-1 Sunday! 68% NBA Run!
(NBA) Oklahoma City vs. Indiana,
Point Spread: -4.50 | -113.00 Indiana (Home)
Result: Loss
Point Spread: -4.50 | -113.00 Indiana (Home)
Result: Loss
The set-up: The 30-22 OKC Thunder are coming off a 105-99 home win over the Blazers on Super Bowl Sunday and tonight travel to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to face the 28-22 Indiana Pacers, who enter the game on a six-game winning streak after their 105-84 home win over the Pistons on Saturday.
Oklahoma City: Westbrook had 42 points in Suteday's win but no triple-double (just four rebounds and eight assists). OKC did get an excellent effort from Oladipo, who had 23 points and added 13 rebounds. However, the eam's other three starters combined for just 23 points, including 7 & 13 from Adams (12.1 & 7.9), who won't have Kanter (14.4 & 7.6) around for about two months. This is OKC's real issue, it's hard to compete with the NBA's elite with essentially a "one man team!" Outside of Westbrook (31.0-10.4-10.3), Oladipo (16.1) and the team's two-headed center duo (when Kanter is healthy), no other Thunder player averages as much as 7.0 PPG.
Indiana: The Pacers will be seeking their seventh straight win, something they have not done in nearly two years! Indiana has a "main guy" like OKC in Paul George (22.6-6.1-3.3) but during the team's recent 13-4 overall run, the Pacers have been getting contributions from a multitude of players. PG Teague (15.7 & 8.2 APG) and center Turner (15.6 & 7.3) are an excellent outside-inside tandem plus five others contribute between 7.8 and 11.5 PPG.
The pick: The bad news for Indiana is that the Pacers are just 3-7 in the second night of back-to-back games but the good news is that they have won their last two such games and OKC comes in 3-7 in the second half of back-to-back sets. I had taking OKC over Portland on Sunday and note that the are now 14-2 SU at home vs. Western Conference foes but they are just 11-9 in all venues against East teams so far this season. As for the Pacers, they are 19-6 SU at home and the price is right here to make Indiana a 10* play.
Oklahoma City: Westbrook had 42 points in Suteday's win but no triple-double (just four rebounds and eight assists). OKC did get an excellent effort from Oladipo, who had 23 points and added 13 rebounds. However, the eam's other three starters combined for just 23 points, including 7 & 13 from Adams (12.1 & 7.9), who won't have Kanter (14.4 & 7.6) around for about two months. This is OKC's real issue, it's hard to compete with the NBA's elite with essentially a "one man team!" Outside of Westbrook (31.0-10.4-10.3), Oladipo (16.1) and the team's two-headed center duo (when Kanter is healthy), no other Thunder player averages as much as 7.0 PPG.
Indiana: The Pacers will be seeking their seventh straight win, something they have not done in nearly two years! Indiana has a "main guy" like OKC in Paul George (22.6-6.1-3.3) but during the team's recent 13-4 overall run, the Pacers have been getting contributions from a multitude of players. PG Teague (15.7 & 8.2 APG) and center Turner (15.6 & 7.3) are an excellent outside-inside tandem plus five others contribute between 7.8 and 11.5 PPG.
The pick: The bad news for Indiana is that the Pacers are just 3-7 in the second night of back-to-back games but the good news is that they have won their last two such games and OKC comes in 3-7 in the second half of back-to-back sets. I had taking OKC over Portland on Sunday and note that the are now 14-2 SU at home vs. Western Conference foes but they are just 11-9 in all venues against East teams so far this season. As for the Pacers, they are 19-6 SU at home and the price is right here to make Indiana a 10* play.
