The Indiana Pacers (36-43) will be at home when they challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder (43-36). Action begins at 6:00 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 12 and can be seen on FSN-OK and FSN-IN.
The Pacers played well in their last game, topping the Pistons 107-103 on Friday. Rodney Stuckey was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points on 10-for-17 shooting. The Thunder, meanwhile, are coming off a 116-103 win against the Kings on Friday. Russell Westbrook claimed his 30th double-double of the season with 27 points and 10 assists.
Enes Kanter has been hot over the last five games for the Thunder, averaging 21.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Thunder winning the first matchup 105-92. Serge Ibaka put up a double-double in the victory with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The odds for Indiana and Oklahoma City are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Pacers come into this game 36-43 Straight Up (SU) and 41-35-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 9-19 SU and 14-13-1 ATS against the Western Conference. Indiana’s defense can be considered one of the best in the league. The Pacers allow a .436 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the league.
Over on the other bench, the Thunder have a record of 37-40-2 ATS and 43-36 SU. Oklahoma City has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. The Thunder get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking fifth in the league with 1,472 made (18.6 per game). Defensive rebounding is an area where Oklahoma City has excelled. The Thunder average 34.4 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the league.
In their previous meeting this season, Oklahoma City beat Indiana, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. The Thunder also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Over the last 10 matchups, Oklahoma City held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice. Indiana performed this feat once.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC, ATS Winner – OKC
Notes
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Indiana’s last 11 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana’s last 6 games at home.
Indiana is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games at home.
Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City.
The total has gone OVER in 18 of Indiana’s last 22 games when playing Oklahoma City.
Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City.
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Indiana’s last 11 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
Indiana is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
Indiana scores an average of 97.2 points per game (ranked 24th), while Oklahoma City gives up 101.6 points per game (ranked 22nd).
Indiana and Oklahoma City are well matched, ranking 22nd in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Indiana puts up an average of 98.0 points per home game, while Oklahoma City allows 103.1 points per away game on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Pacers are 28-17 on the season. When the Thunder score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 7-22.
The Indiana Pacers have an underachieving 8-26 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Oklahoma City Thunder are 36-14 when they hit triple digits.
The Pacers have an offensive rating of 100.8 (ranked 23rd). The Thunder rank 15th for their defensive rating of 102.4.
With 96.5 possessions and 1.008 points per possession, the Indiana Pacers perform worse on both metrics than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Oklahoma City averages 99.2 possessions and 1.044 points per possession.
The Oklahoma City Thunder average an effective field goal percentage of 49.1% this season. The Indiana Pacers have a losing record of 11-22 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.1% or greater.
On average, the Indiana Pacers attempt 21.1 three point field goals per game and the Oklahoma City Thunder attempt 22.6 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Indiana has a losing record of 6-12, while Oklahoma City is 11-12.
The Indiana Pacers, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.61, rank 17th in the NBA. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a lower A/TO (1.45), ranking 23rd.
Oklahoma City is the best rebounding team in the NBA this season with 47.5 per game. On the other side, Indiana is in the top half of the league, ranking sixth with 44.7 per game.
Ranked second, the Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the top-ranked offensive rebounding teams. The Indiana Pacers are among the best defensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked fourth).
Oklahoma City has forced an average turnover percentage of 13.0% this season. Indiana has a poor 16-29 record when its TOV% is 13.0% or higher.
