Pacers vs. Raptors Pick
Are the Indiana Pacers and host Toronto Raptors going to get into a defensive battle that stays under the total tonight at 7:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Raptors are a 7.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total sits at 218 points.
Indiana enters with a 12-10 overall record and 13-9 ATS after a 118-97 loss at the Rockets. Toronto is 13-7 overall and 12-8 ATS following a 126-113 home win over the Hornets. The Pacers won the first meeting this season on their floor Nov. 24 by a count of 107-104. The four meetings since the start of last season have gone 2-2 straight up and 2-2 ATS. The over-under is also 2-2.
In the defeat at Houston, Thaddeus Young led Indiana with 23 points along with four rebounds and two assists. Victor Oladipo contributed 19 points, five assists, five steals, three rebounds and two blocked shots. Myles Turner had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Bojan Bogdanovic added 15 points. The Pacers were outscored 64-48 in the second half.
Toronto was paced by Kyle Lowry with 36 points, six assists and five rebounds in the victory over Charlotte. DeMar DeRozan accounted for 30 points along with six assists and four rebounds. Jonas Valunciunas added 12 points and seven boards. The Raptors led 71-52 at halftime.
Indiana is 6-2 ATS in the last eight meetings. The under is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings.
Toronto did get into a high-scoring game with Charlotte, with the playmakers in Lowry and DeRozan to get the job done. But the Raptors defense has been no joke this season and a huge reason why they are six games over .500. Look for the hosts to stifle the Indiana offense here, keeping it from hitting the 3-point ball consistently which has been a big part of Pacers successes this season. Roll with the under in this spot.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: PACERS/RAPTORS UNDER 218