Philadelphia at Indiana
Time: 6 PM CT, TNT
Spread: IND -3.5
Total: 224.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Indiana Pacers have won eight of its last 10 games overall and are 15-5 on the season at home where it will host the visiting Philadelphia 76ers in the first half of a TNT Thursday night doubleheader. The Pacers are 3.5-point favorites and the game has an over/under of 224.5 points according to NBA oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
IND
The Indiana Pacers are currently seeded No. 3 in the Eastern Conference, and it trails the Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks by just 2.5 games in the standings. The Pacers have won two straight, with victories over the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. Key in those victories has been the play of sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic, who put up 20 points in the Pacers huge 131-97 victory over Phoenix. It helped compensate for a poor game from star guard Victor Oladipo who shot just 2 of 11 en route to eight points.
Bogdanovic is averaging 15.7 points per game over his last 10 games while shooting 46 percent from the field and dishing out 2.5 assists per game. The 6’8” small forward is averaging 16.3 points per game on the season while shooting an outstanding 45 percent from behind the arc. He has scored 20 or more in three of his last five, although the 21 points, nine rebound performance on Jan. 6 came in a loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Oladipo, meanwhile, has had his struggles of late. The one-time Orlando Magic and one-time Thunder guard is averaging nearly three points per game less (17.0) over his last 10 games while shooting just 41 percent from the floor. On the year, he is slightly better at 43 percent with a 34.3 percent mark on three-point shots. Oladipo has not had a 20-plus point game since Jan. 4 when he dropped 36 on the Bulls in a 119-116 victory.
His chances at an All-Star bid have to be hurt with his recent struggles, but he still represents the Pacers’ best player and franchise talent.
Ideally, Indiana would have preferred that Myles Turner embrace a larger offensive role to complement Oladipo and Bogdanovic, but Turner’s career has taken a path much more with a defensive lean than anticipated. He averages just 13.1 points per game, but he leads the Pacers in blocks at 2.8 per game while also coming up with 7.1 boards per night in just 27 minutes.
The play of backup 5-man Domantas Sabonis helps offset this some: He has flourished as a Pacer since wasting his rookie season in Oklahoma City playing out of position. Sabonis averages 15.2 points per game in just 25 minutes a night, while also leading the team in rebounds per game (9.7). His PER (24.3) is also a team-high, and his efficiency around the basket is responsible for that great figure. Sabonis shoots 62 percent from the field on his 9.6 field goal attempts per game, and he rarely turns the ball over.
Sabonis is sort of the antithesis of Turner, but the combination has worked well with the Pacers occasionally playing the duo together but always limiting the minutes of both players. It stands to reason Indy eventually makes a decision to go with one as more of a full-time starter, but which player that will be is entirely unclear.
PHI
The Philadelphia 76ers are riding a two-game win streak heading into this matchup, as well. The Sixers most recently knocked off the New York Knicks and Minnesota T-Wolves to improve to 29-16 on the season. It trails the Toronto Raptors by 3.5 games in the Atlantic Division.
In the most recent win over the Wolves, Joel Embiid absolutely dominated and owned Wolves’ center Karl-Anthony Towns. Embiid held Towns to just 13 points and three rebounds, all the while racking up 31 points and 13 boards in his 27 minutes on the court (not to mention a +20 mark for his PT). The Sixers placed all five starters in double-figures, and Ben Simmons fell just an assist shy of yet another triple-double. The talent in Philly is undeniable but equally as confusing is just what this team can do to enter the realm of true and elite contenders.
The 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz has bust written all over him and is not currently playing, and Jimmy Butler is a strong addition, but the Sixers have certainly missed the defensive presence Robert Covington gave them (he and Dario Saric were the two key players traded for Butler). The Sixers also are pretty heavily reliant on its top-end talent, and adding depth is not something that should be left out of consideration.
Perhaps, if the team can manage to swing it, a team would be willing to take on Fultz as a “reclamation” project while giving the Sixers some pieces it could use in its second unit. No matter what the case, it is entirely unclear how Fultz fits into any future plans and there are some certain holes on this roster that need addressing after giving up key pieces to acquire Butler this season.
