Pacers vs. 76ers Pick
Are the Indiana Pacers going to stay within the number on the road at the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night at 7PM EST?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the 76ers are listed as a 5.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 221 points.
Indiana enters with a 5-3 record after a 124-107 upset victory at the Cavaliers. Philadelphia is 4-4 after its third straight win Wednesday night, a 119-109 home triumph over the Hawks. The Pacers won three of the four meetings straight up last season, but the 76ers were 3-1 ATS. The total went over in three of the four contests.
The Pacers were led by Thaddeus Young as he poured in 26 points with six rebounds and four assists in the win at Cleveland. Darren Collison had 25 points, eight assists and five boards. Victor Oladipo recorded 23 points and seven assists. Bojan Bogdanovic had 17 points, while Domantas Sabonis added 15 points along with 12 caroms and six assists. Indiana outscored the hosts 32-22 in the fourth quarter to put it away.
Joel Embiid contributed 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the victory over Atlanta. Ben Simmons racked up 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. Robert Covington scored a team-best 22 points. Jerryd Bayless scored 14 off the bench, while Amir Johnson had 12 points and eight boards off the bench. T.J. McConnell added 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds off the bench. Philadelphia broke a tie by outscoring Atlanta 26-16 in the fourth quarter.
The Pacers are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings to Philadelphia. The over is 5-0 in the last five meetings in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia struggled until late to put away the Hawks a couple nights ago. While the 76ers are a super exciting up-and-coming team, there are still some flaws that can be exposed. Indiana has played well despite the absence of center Myles Turner with an injury. A lot of that has to do with how Sabonis has stepped up in the interior. Embiid and company will get more than they bargained for in this spot. Take Indiana and the points.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: INDIANA PACERS +5.5