The Indiana Pacers will travel to the Barclays Center to take on the Brooklyn Nets. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 31 and can be seen on FSN-IN and YES.
The Nets played well in their last game, topping the Lakers 107-99 on Sunday. Brook Lopez was a key piece, recording his 13th double-double of the season with 30 points and 11 rebounds. The Pacers, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-99 win against the Mavericks on Sunday. C.J. Miles was the game’s top scorer, registering 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting.
Over the last five games, Lopez has taken his game to another level for the Nets, averaging 28.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 2.6 blocks. George Hill has upped his play for the Pacers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 21.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block, and 2.0 three-pointers.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Nets had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 123-111 win. In the victory, Lopez led all scorers with 26 points.
The odds for Brooklyn and Indiana are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Nets come into this game 32-40 Straight Up (SU) and 34-36-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 19-24 SU and 19-23-1 ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Nets have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 105.3 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 97.5 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Pacers have 32-41 SU and 38-32-3 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Indiana is 23-22 SU and 24-19-2 ATS. The Pacers allow just 97.3 points per game, ranking them fifth in the league. The Pacers are a problem for teams on the defensive side, allowing only .436 shooting from the field to their opponents. Defensive rebounding is an area where Indiana has excelled. The Pacers average 32.2 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the league.
In their previous meeting this season, Brooklyn beat Indiana, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. On the other hand, the Nets hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. In these last 10 matchups, Indiana held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times, with Brooklyn controlling all three of these areas two times.
Predictions: SU Winner – IND, ATS Winner – IND
Notes
Indiana ranks 24th in points per game with 96.9, while Brooklyn ranks 19th in points allowed with an average of 100.6 given up.
Indiana and Brooklyn are well matched, ranking 23rd in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Indiana puts up an average of 96.1 points on the road, while Brooklyn gives up 101.4 points at home on average.
When giving up fewer than 100 points, Indiana has a 25-17 record. When Brooklyn scores fewer than 100, they are a subpar 9-34.
The Indiana Pacers have an underachieving 7-24 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Brooklyn Nets are 23-6 when they hit the century mark.
The Pacers have an offensive rating of 100.5 (ranked 24th), while the Nets rank 22nd for their defensive rating of 104.2.
The Brooklyn Nets average a field goal percentage of 44.9% this season. The Indiana Pacers have a losing record of 7-20 when opponents have a FG% of 44.9% or greater.
The Brooklyn Nets rank higher in field goal percentage (16th) than effective field goal percentage (20th), while the Indiana Pacers rank the same for both metrics (23rd).
On average, the Indiana Pacers make 21.4 assists per game and the Brooklyn Nets make 20.7. Indiana is ranked 17th, while Brooklyn is ranked 23rd.
The Brooklyn Nets average 4.2 blocks per game for a rank of 24th. The Indiana Pacers rank higher (20th), earning 4.5 blocks each contest.
The Brooklyn Nets rank 24th in offensive rebounding, while the Indiana Pacers rank fifth in defensive rebounding.
On average, Brooklyn makes 7.0 steals per game. Indiana is a losing 14-31 when it allows at least 7 steals.
