The Indiana Pacers take on the San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center on Monday night.
The Pacers are finally healthy and are still working their pieces together. Indiana has won four out of their last five games played and they currently occupy the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are just two games behind the 4th placed Miami Heat so they still have a shot at getting home-court advantage in round one of the playoffs. The Spurs are fighting to get into the postseason and preserve a 22-year playoff streak. San Antonio is still in 10th place and three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the 8th and final playoff position in the Western Conference. The Spurs head to this game with three wins in their last five outings.
The Indiana Pacers picked up their third straight victory with a 113-104 conquest of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. The win improved Indiana’s record to 36-24 on the season. They are in second place in the Central Division and sixth place in the Eastern Conference team standings. The Pacers are just two games behind the 4th placed Miami Heat with still plenty of games left to catch up.
T.J. Warren scored 30 points to lead Indiana. Malcolm Brogdon scored 22 points including the go-ahead basket midway in the 4th quarter. Domantas Sabonis barely missed a triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. Victor Oladipo added 19 points after missing a pair of games with a sore ankle. Oladipo had missed the first 47 games of the season while rehabbing his injured knee.
Indiana ranks 6th overall in scoring defense at 107.2 points per game on the season. They are 21st in scoring at 109.3 points per game. The Pacers are 7th in the league in passing at 26.1 assists per game, and they are also 25th in rebounding at 42.9 boards grabbed per contest. The Pacers are playing the second of a five-game road trip.
The San Antonio Spurs snapped a two-game losing streak with a 114-113 win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. San Antonio is chasing a 23rd consecutive playoff appearance and at 25-33, the Spurs are still three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Spurs put seven players in double-digit scoring against the Magic. Rudy Gay led the team with 19 points while Dejounte Murray contributed 14 points. DeMar DeRozan finished with 16 points after shooting just 3-7 through the first three quarters. LaMarcus Aldridge missed his second straight game with a sore right shoulder.
San Antonio ranks 11th overall in scoring at 112.8 points per game. They are 14th in rebounding at 45.3 rebounds per contest and 13th in passing at 24.5 assists per game. The Spurs are 22nd in the league in scoring defense at 114.5 points per game allowed this season. The win over Orlando was only their third in their last 10 assignments.
Indiana is 5-1 SU in their last six games played. The Pacers are 2-2 SU in their last four games played on the road, and 6-4 SU in their last 10 road games played against the Western Conference. San Antonio is 3-7 SU in their last 10 games played. The Spurs are 15-13 SU in 28 home games played this season, 2-4 SU in their last six games played against the Central Division, and 11-4 SU in their last 15 games played in March. Head to head, the Spurs are 15-5 SU in their last 15 games played against the Pacers.
The Pacers have gotten their pieces together. Oladipo’s had an injury-plagued year but when he’s back again and that’s a huge bonus for the Pacers. Domantas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon continue to have impressive seasons while the Pacers have gotten solid contributions from Myles Turner.
The Spurs are still trying to get into playoff position but in the West, it won’t be easy. San Antonio needs to get going right now. Time and games are running out. LaMarcus Aldridge has missed their last two games and they need him back badly if they are going to catch up with the Grizzlies.
Indiana bounced back from a six-game losing streak with five wins in their last six outings. The Pacers are finally healthy and they are starting to play to their potential. The Spurs are in desperation mode right now as their playoff streak is on the line. Aldridge has missed the last two games with a right shoulder strain and Jakob Poeltl suffered a knee contusion in their previous game. The Pacers pick up the road win here against an undermanned Spurs team.
PREDICTION: INDIANA PACERS
The Pacers are 4-5-1 ATS in their last 10 games played. Indiana is 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 games played on the road. The Spurs are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games played. San Antonio is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games played against the Eastern Conference. Head to head, the Pacers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Spurs. However, Indiana is 5-1 ATS in its last six road games against San Antonio.
San Antonio leads the all-time series between these two teams at 54-39. They also have a 30-17 edge when the games are played at the Alamo City. However, this current Spurs team isn’t the usual Popovich squad. This team has struggled all season long and they are currently without LaMarcus Aldridge. Indiana meanwhile, is complete and with Oladipo back, they are contenders. I like the Pacers to win the game and cover the spread here.
PREDICTION: PACERS -3
The total has gone under in four out of Indiana’s last five games played. The Pacers have seen the total go over in four out of their last five games against the Western Conference. The over is 4-1 in their last five games against the Southwest Division. The total has gone over in seven out of the last nine games played by the Spurs. The under is 5-2 in San Antonio’s last seven home games. Head to head, the under is 6-3 in the last nine meetings between the Pacers and Spurs.
Indiana has a Top 10 scoring defense and they have allowed 104 or fewer points in four out of their last five assignments. The Spurs were held to just 103 points in their last two losses and have scored no more than 105 points in five out of their last seven defeats. Without Aldridge and Poeltl, the San Antonio offense is going to take a hit. I like the Pacers to win in a low-scoring and slow-paced game.
PREDICTION: UNDER 220.5
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