Pacers vs. Trail Blazers Prediction
The Pacers and Trail Blazers are each fighting for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs in their respective conferences and will meet tonight in Portland at 10:30 p.m. ET. Given how well the Blazers have played at the Moda Center, are they a good bet to cover tonight?
Game Snapshot
549 Indiana Pacers at 550 Portland Trail Blazers
10:30 p.m. ET, Monday, March 18, 2019
Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line.
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Trail Blazers are 4-point favorites to beat the Pacers. The total, meanwhile, sits at 213.5 points and as of this writing, 77% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Trail Blazers to cover the point spread.
Indiana Pacers Fantasy Spin
Darren Collison went 7-of-12 from the field and 2-of-3 from the stripe on his way to 17 points during Saturday’s narrow loss to the Nuggets. Collison added one 3-pointer, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and two turnovers in his 30 minutes of floor time, and he did a nice job of picking his spots in the offense in addition to playing some phenomenal defense against Jamal Murray. He’s been flirting with top-50 value ever since Victor Oladipo (quad) went down, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Portland Trail Blazers Fantasy Spin
C.J. McCollum has been diagnosed with a popliteus strain in his left knee and he will be re-examined in one week. The popliteus is a small muscle at the back of the knee, and it serves an important role in allowing an individual to fully straighten their leg. While he’ll be re-evaluated in one week, it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see him sit out the rest of the regular season, so he’s a cut-candidate in leagues that don’t offer an IR-spot. Rodney Hood, Evan Turner and Seth Curry will have the opportunity for some extended minutes while he’s out, while Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic will run the show on offense.
NBA Betting Trends
Indiana
The Pacers are 6-1 against the spread in their last seven games versus the Western Conference.
Portland
The Trail Blazers are 22-8 against the number in their last 30 games versus Eastern Conference foes.
Prediction
The Pacers have not been profitable in this series, failing to cover the spread in seven of their previous eight games and posting a 1-5 ATS record in their last six games played in Portland. Indiana is also just 1-4 at the betting window in its last five road games and 2-6 against the spread in its last eight games playing on one day of rest. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have covered the spread in 38 of their previous 56 home games and are 9-4 against the spread in their last 13 games overall.
Monday NBA Prediction: Portland Trail Blazers -4