The San Antonio Spurs (53-9) head to Indiana to take on the Pacers (33-30) in a matchup that pits the third-ranked offense against the top-ranked defense. Action gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Monday, Mar. 7 and will air on FxI and FSW.
The Pacers come into this game on a high note after barely hanging on to beat the Wizards 100-99 on Saturday. Paul George was the game’s high scorer with 38 points on 13-for-22 shooting. The Spurs, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-94 win over the Kings on Saturday. Kawhi Leonard claimed his 10th double-double of the season with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge have been on a tear over the last five games for the Spurs. Leonard has averaged 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers during that stretch, while Aldridge has put up 19.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 blocks.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Indiana ranks third in the league, allowing just 100.5 points per 100 possessions, while San Antonio is first (95.8). Also, the Spurs’s third-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 109.6) will face off against the third-ranked defense of the Pacers (defensive efficiency of 100.5).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Spurs winning the first matchup 106-92. In the victory, Leonard led all scorers on the team with 24 points.
The Pacers enter the game with records of 33-30 Straight Up (SU) and 32-31 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 33-30 SU and 32-31 ATS versus the Western Conference. If its opponents turn the ball over, Indiana has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 19.3 points off turnovers, making them the top team in the league for that category.
Over on the other bench, San Antonio has a SU record of 53-9 and an ATS record of 38-24. San Antonio has records of 53-9 SU and 38-24 ATS against the East. The Spurs convert their free throws at a high percentage, ranking second in the league at .799. The Spurs are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking second in the NBA at 1.95. San Antonio’s defense as a whole has been firing on all cylinders so far, averaging an NBA-best 92.2 points allowed per game. San Antonio’s defense has set the standard for the league, with opponents shooting a league-low .432 from the field. The Spurs are a terror on the defensive glass, averaging an impressive 35.2 defensive rebounds per game.
The Spurs’ win over Indiana in their last clash bumped their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 9-1. The Spurs also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – SA
Notes
The Indiana Pacers score 102.8 points per home game this season. However, San Antonio is the top-ranked team in points allowed on the road, giving up just 94.1 per game.
The Pacers have a 25-5 record when they allow fewer than 100 points. The Spurs, however, have performed well when they don’t hit triple digits, with a record of 14-7 in such contests.
The Indiana Pacers have an abysmal 8-25 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The San Antonio Spurs are 39-2 when they hit triple digits.
The Spurs have the league’s top defense, with a defensive rating of 95.8. The Pacers have an offensive rating of 102.5 (ranked 24th).
Indiana averages 99.7 possessions per game, scoring 1.025 points on each possession. While San Antonio averages fewer possessions per game with 95.6, the team scores more points per possession with 1.096.
The San Antonio Spurs have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking second in the league with an EFF% of 53.5%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Indiana Pacers have a subpar 4-15 record.
On average, the San Antonio Spurs make 25.1 assists per game and the Indiana Pacers make 20.6. San Antonio is ranked third, while Indiana is ranked 23rd.
The Indiana Pacers average 4.8 blocks per game for a rank of 16th. The San Antonio Spurs rank higher (fifth), earning 6.0 blocks each contest.
Indiana ranks in the top half of the NBA in offensive rebounding at 14th, while San Antonio ranks near the top of the league (third) in defensive rebounding.
Making 9.0 steals per game, Indiana is ranked fourth in the NBA. San Antonio has a fantastic 12-3 record when it allows at least 9 steals.
