The New Orleans Pelicans (41-30) square off with the Indiana Pacers (41-30) at Smoothie King Center. The game can be seen on Fox Sports – New Orleans at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.
Indiana Pacers vs. New Orleans Pelicans Free Prediction
The Pacers come in on a high note after beating the Los Angeles Lakers in their last outing, 110-100. The Pacers had a ridiculously low turnover percentage of 5.9 (better than their season average of 12.1) and had a free throw rate of 0.207 (above their season average of 0.176). Thaddeus Young played a pivotal role for Indiana with 18 points and nine rebounds.
In the Pelicans’ last game, they defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 115-105. New Orleans’ 22.5 offensive rebounding percentage was their largest strength over Dallas, who had a rate of 19.6. The Pelicans’ mark was above their season average of 19.8. Anthony Davis was the top scorer from either team with 37 points on 15-for-21 shooting.
It will be a battle of conflicting paces as the up-tempo Pelicans will look to push the slower-paced Pacers. The Pelicans currently rank second in possessions per game while the Pacers are 22nd.
Indiana heads into the game with records of 41-30 straight up (SU) and 40-31 against the spread (ATS). Games featuring the Pacers have typically gone under the total (59.2 percent).
Meanwhile, New Orleans is 41-30 SU and 38-32 ATS. Contrary to Indiana, Pelicans games tend to finish over the total (60.0 percent).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. Davis scored a game-high 37 points in the first game, in which the Pelicans beat the Pacers 117-112, covering as 1.5-point favorites. He also recorded 14 rebounds. The game finished with a total of 229 points, which was 11.5 points above the projected point total of 217.5 points. The Pelicans had a better effective field goal percentage (0.586 vs. 0.522) and had a better free throw rate (0.172 vs. 0.161).
Indiana Pacers at New Orleans Pelicans ATS Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Pacers, ATS Winner – Pacers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Indiana is 19-15 ATS with 20 unders, 13 overs and 1 push.
At home, New Orleans is 15-19 ATS with 24 overs and 10 unders.
When holding opponents under 100 points, New Orleans is 9-2 and Indiana is 25-2.
The Pelicans are 39-19 when they score above 100 points, while the Pacers are 33-15.
Indiana ranks third in fast break points per game (14.8) while New Orleans ranks 28th in fast break points allowed per game (14.4).
The Pelicans rank third in blocks per game (5.8) while the Pacers rank 25th (4.2).
Indiana ranks second in points off turnovers per game (18.4) while New Orleans ranks 23rd in points off turnovers allowed per game (17.5).
The Pacers rank second in steals per game (8.7) while the Pelicans rank 22nd in steals allowed per game (8.2).
New Orleans ranks second in assists per game (26.6) while Indiana ranks 22nd (22.0).
The Pacers average 44.4 points in the paint per game, which ranks 13th in the league. The Pelicans rank 27th in points allowed in the paint per game (47.7).
Indiana ranks 15th in second chance points allowed per game (12.7) while New Orleans ranks 28th (13.5).
The Pacers rank 15th in rebounds allowed per game (43.0) while the Pelicans rank 25th (45.4).
New Orleans ranks 18th in three pointers attempted per game (28.3) while Indiana ranks 26th (24.4).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Indiana is 3-2 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
New Orleans is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over their last five games.
The Pacers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 0.2, down from 1.5 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pelicans have scored an average of 107.2 points per game (4.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 102.8 points per game (8.2 below their season average).
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