The Indiana Pacers (33-44, 19-19 Home) play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder (38-39, 15-23 Away) Friday in what should be a fast-paced game. Oklahoma City edged past the Detroit Pistons 107-106 at Paycom Center on Wednesday. With 27 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, Jalen Williams led the way.
The Thunder are the 10th seed in the Western Conference. Indiana dropped their fourth in a row on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, falling to the Milwaukee Bucks 149-136. Bennedict Mathurin had 29 points and nine rebounds in defeat to lead the team.
The Pacers are 12th in the Eastern Conference.It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. After taking the only earlier season game against Indiana 126-106 at Paycom Center on January 18, Oklahoma City will be seeking a season sweep. Isaiah Joe led the Thunder with 23 points.
Andrew Nembhard had 18 points and seven assists in the losing effort. The Thunder have been led this season by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 31.3 points per game, fourth-highest in the league. Meanwhile, Josh Giddey is contributing 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
Tyrese Haliburton (20.7 ppg) and Myles Turner (18.0) have supplied much of the Pacers’ offense. Turner also has posted 7.5 rebounds per game, while Haliburton has distributed 10.4 assists per game, second-most in the NBA.
Look for plenty of transition offense in this matchup that showcases two of the league’s most up-tempo teams, as the Thunder and the Pacers rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in possessions per game. The Pacers have had success in recent clashes between the teams at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, winning six of the last 10.
Indiana is looking to avoid a fourth straight home loss this season. Oklahoma City is 6-4 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -0.9 (113.4-114.3).
Indiana has a 3-7 record over the last 10, allowing 126.4 points per game on average while scoring only 117.0 (-9.4 margin). The Pacers are averaging 115.9 ppg for the full season while allowing 119.1.
THUNDER HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jalen Williams: 30.0 | 22.0 | +8.0
Aleksej Pokusevski: 1.5 | 15.0 | -13.5
Points per game:
Jalen Williams: 21.2 | 14.2 | +7.0
Rebounds per game:
Aleksej Pokusevski: 0.5 | 4.8 | -4.3
PACERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Andrew Nembhard: 25.0 | 16.0 | +9.0
Points per game:
Buddy Hield: 12.3 | 16.9 | -4.6
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
OKC Thunder (-155)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
