The latest episode of the Sports Betting Tips podcast is up on GetMoreSports with host and veteran journalist Chris Sheridan discussing the Indiana Pacers and their recent struggles. On the season, the Pacers are still a healthy 20-12 and have won seven of nine, but their last two losses are a cause for concern. Sheridan is joined by Pacers play-by-play announcer Mark Boyle to delve deeper into the mini two-game losing streak.
“20-12 isn’t bad and if faltering means losing two in a row, you’re not doing bad. But their last two losses have not been their finest hours,” says Boyle.
The first of the two losses was to the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. What’s surprising is not only that they lost but that it was on their home court when they came in riding a seven-game winning streak. At the time, Cleveland had notched just seven wins the entire season. It’s not as if the Pacers were blown out – they lost on a last-second tip-in by Larry Nance – but just the fact that this was a close game was surprising.
As for the other loss, it also stung quite a bit, but in a much different way. The Pacers had a chance to close the gap on the East-leading Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. The Pacers looked good for three quarters but then blew it in the fourth.
“Toronto was missing Lowry, Valanciunas and Ibaka,” said Boyle. “And the Pacers had them down 13 with 10 minutes to go.”
That last part is what will particularly hurt. On the road, facing the best team in the conference, the Pacers did everything right for three quarters. Then they went ice cold in the fourth quarter – managing just a total of 11 points – and they ended up losing 99-96.
Related: NBA Betting Guide
So the question is whether this is a sign of greater issues to come or whether it was merely a couple of missed opportunities? So far, this has been a team that has played well enough to be in the conversation among the candidates to win the East.
“You could make a case because there is no real powerhouse in the East,” says Boyle. “Toronto looks good, Boston has a good roster, but none are invincible. If you’re Indiana or Milwaukee or Philadelphia, you can legitimately think you have a chance to get out. The Pacers are not a team without a weakness – they are far from it – but they are pretty solid area and they are really good defensively.”
Next up for the Pacers is a visit to Brooklyn to face the red-hot Nets. While they’re merely 15-18, they might be the hottest team in the NBA right now as they’ve won seven in a row.
After dissecting the Pacers, Sheridan and Boyle shift their focus toward the 2019 NBA MVP Award. The guys handicap the favorites and then examine whether Nikola Jokic is good value at 60/1.
Tune in at GetMoreSports to hear the full episode!
