Hawks vs. Pacers Pick
Are the Atlanta Hawks and host Indiana Pacers a strong bet to play a game tonight at 7PM ET that exceeds the projected point total?
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Pacers are listed as a 7.5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 211.5 points. The spread and total are still right where they were when the lines opened.
As of Friday afternoon, 64 percent of public bets have come in on the Pacers. Online wager info also shows that 68 percent of bets are being placed on the over.
This is the second meeting this season between these two squads, with Indiana winning 105-95 on Dec. 20 in Atlanta. The Pacers have won the last three matchups straight up, but over the last 10 meetings it is 5-5 ATS. The under has hit six consecutive times and is 7-3 over the last 10 meetings.
Atlanta comes in having lost two in a row and four out of its last five. Regardless, the Hawks are still 6-4 ATS over their last 10 games. The under has also gone 6-4. Indiana won its last three games before the All-Star break, covering the spread each time. The Pacers are 5-5 ATS the spread over their last 10 contests and the over has gone 5-4-1.
Indiana really played strong basketball the last few games before the break and with Victor Oladipo leading the charge, I expect it will continue tonight against an Atlanta squad most focused on player development during a lost season. While the Hawks have some talent that will help them in the future, right now they are struggling to put it together. But with the Hawks’ defense being so porous and the Pacers preferring to play up-tempo, I believe there will be a lot of points scored in this one. More points by the Pacers, but I still feel more comfortable taking the over.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: HAWKS/PACERS OVER 211.5