The Indiana Pacers head to the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. The game gets underway at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Jan. 8 and will air on FxI and FSN.
The Pelicans lost to the Mavericks 100-91 on Wednesday. Anthony Davis recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds, earning his 22nd double-double of the year. The Pacers, meanwhile, are coming off a 95-86 win over the Magic on Wednesday. Monta Ellis played well, recording 19 points, seven assists, and four steals.
George Hill has been on fire over the last five games for the Pacers, averaging 17.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.5 three-pointers.
The Pelicans are a slight underdog, with Indiana favored by two. The Over/Under (O/U) is 206 points. The Pelicans enter the game with records of 11-23 Straight Up (SU) and 13-21 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 2-9 SU and 3-8 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. New Orleans has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .793.
On the other side, Indiana has identical records of 20-15 SU and ATS so far. Indiana has records of 5-8 SU and 3-10 ATS against the West. The Pacers are shooting very well so far with a .365 three-point field-goal percentage that ranks fifth in the NBA. Indiana makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fourth in points off turnovers with an average of 19.7 per game.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time the Pelicans and the Pacers played, Indiana won, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 9-1. Additionally, the Pacers lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ind, ATS Winner – Ind, O/U – Over
Notes
New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans’s last 6 games.
New Orleans is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of New Orleans’s last 13 games at home.
New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 5 games when playing Indiana.
New Orleans is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana.
New Orleans is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Indiana.
New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Indiana.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games when playing at home against Indiana.
New Orleans ranks 14th in points per game with 101.4, while Indiana ranks sixth in points allowed with an average of 98.4 given up.
Indiana has allowed an average of 100.3 points per away game this season. New Orleans averages 106.4 points per home game, placing the team third in scoring.
New Orleans is an even 4-4 when it gives up fewer than 100 points in a game, while Indiana is also at 0.500 (7-7) when it scores less than 100.
The New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar 7-19 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Indiana Pacers are 13-8 when they hit triple digits.
The Pelicans have an offensive rating of 102.3 (ranked 17th). The Pacers rank fourth for their defensive rating of 99.2.
With 99.1 possessions and 1.023 points per possession, the New Orleans Pelicans perform worse on both metrics than the Indiana Pacers. Indiana averages 99.7 possessions and 1.025 points per possession.
The New Orleans Pelicans average an effective field goal percentage of 49.6% this season. The Indiana Pacers have an abysmal record of 2-9 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.6% or greater.
New Orleans makes an average of 21.4 assists per game (ranked 16th), while Indiana makes 19.8 assists per game (ranked 24th).
New Orleans makes an average of 5.0 blocks per game (ranked 13th), while Indiana makes 4.3 blocks per game (ranked 21st).
The New Orleans Pelicans rank 30th in offensive rebounding, while the Indiana Pacers rank 14th in defensive rebounding.
The Indiana Pacers average 9.2 steals per game (ranked fourth). The New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar 2-7 record when they allow at least 9 steals.
