The Indiana Pacers (37-33) face off against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans (26-44) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The game begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 24 and will air on NBA, FxI and FSN.
The Pacers enter this game hoping for similar success after defeating the 76ers 91-75 on Monday. George Hill fueled the Pacers with 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists. The Pelicans, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 113-99 loss at the hands of the Heat on Tuesday. Jrue Holiday had a good shooting night, leading the team with 24 points.
Holiday has been on a tear over the last five games for the Pelicans, averaging 21.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Pacers won the first game 91-86. Despite the loss, Tyreke Evans was the game’s leading scorer with 27 points.
The Pacers enter the game with records of 36-33 Straight Up (SU) and 35-34 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS. Indiana’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 113.2 during that span, compared to its 100.3 season average. Indiana is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 19.0 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Pelicans have 26-44 SU and 29-41 ATS records. When traveling to play against teams in the Eastern Conference, New Orleans has a record of SU, but only 14-21 ATS.
With the Pacers’ last win against New Orleans, their SU record rises to 9-1 over the Pelicans in the last 10 meetings. The Pacers also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ind
Notes
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 5 games “.
“Indiana is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 5 games at home”.
“Indiana is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans”.
“Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana’s last 6 games when playing New Orleans”.
“Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New Orleans”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 6 games when playing at home against New Orleans”.
“New Orleans is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Indiana”.
Indiana scores an average of 101.8 points per game (ranked 18th). New Orleans ranks 25th in points allowed per game with 106.5.
On average, Indiana puts up 102.3 points per home game (ranked 20th). New Orleans ranks 24th in points allowed per road game with 106.6.
Indiana has a 28-5 record when opponents score fewer than 100 points. New Orleans has yet to win a game in which it puts up fewer than 100 (0-31).
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pacers are just 9-28 this season. New Orleans is a solid 26-13 when it reaches the century mark.
The Pelicans have a defensive rating of 107.4 (ranked 26th). The Pacers rank 25th for their offensive rating of 102.2.
Indiana averages 99.6 possessions per game, scoring 1.022 points on each possession. While New Orleans averages fewer possessions per game with 99.5, the team scores more points per possession with 1.037.
Indiana has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.2%. New Orleans is an underachieving 18-32 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the New Orleans Pelicans make 21.8 assists per game and the Indiana Pacers make 20.7. New Orleans is ranked 18th, while Indiana is ranked 24th.
Indiana makes an average of 4.9 blocks per game (ranked 16th), while New Orleans makes 4.5 blocks per game (ranked 19th).
The Pacers and the Pelicans are well matched when it comes to rebounding. Indiana is ranked 17th in offensive rebounding, and New Orleans is also ranked 17th in defensive rebounding.
The Indiana Pacers average 9.0 steals per game (ranked fourth). The New Orleans Pelicans have a subpar record of 7-13 when they allow at least 9 steals.
