Tonight’s Pacers vs Pelicans Pick, Prediction
Dylan Buell/Getty Images. Pictured: Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers.
Here's everything you need to know about tonight'sPelicans vs. Pacers game, including our expert prediction and betting pick.
The New Orleans Pelicans head to the Circle City on Wednesday to take on the Indiana Pacers in some cross-conference NBA action.
The Pelicans are on the second half of a back-to-back after beating the Knicks by 23 at Madison Square Garden last night.
The Pacers, meanwhile, find themselves slightly more rested after playing a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday, going 1-1 with a big win over the Mavericks and a closer loss to the Raptors.
So, where does the betting value lie in this matchup? Let's get to tonight's Pelicans vs. Pacers pick.
Pacers vs Pelicans Pick
Pick: Pacers -6.5
The key to watch for the Pelicans this game will be the injury report. We know Jose Alvarado is out with the suspension, Dyson Daniels is confirmed to be injured, and CJ McCollum has not played in a few games while nursing an ankle injury.
Zion Williamson has also been dealing with a left foot contusion, and he has been questionable for all recent games. With the Pels on a back-to-back on the road, could he miss this bad schedule spot? In this situation, I fully want to wait for news from shootaround and Pelicans beat writers.
Will Guillory of The Athletic tweeted a quote from Zion Tuesday night about increased availability, so maybe he does go.
Zion Williamson on him and Brandon Ingram being available more often this season:
"Me and BI talk about stuff like that all the time — what we wanna do for this team and the future of this team. … We want to win. At the end of the day, people remember winners." https://t.co/5fncSPDRUg
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) February 28, 2024
We want to know who's participating and who's sitting it out before taking action on this game.
If the players mentioned above are out, the Pels will have to generate offense through Jonas Valanciunas and play Brandon Ingram as the main creator. In that scenario, they'll have trouble keeping up with the Pacers and their elite guard play.
The Pacers simply have a lot of advantages in this contest. Home-court advantage, check. Rest advantage, check. Travel advantage, check.
While I am a fan of Pelicans coach Willie Green, I believe the coaching advantage goes the Pacers' way in this matchup as well with future Hall of Famer Rick Carlisle on the sidelines.
Finally, we can't forget about the Pacers' stellar guard play led by Tyrese Haliburton. The pace is so fast, and I'm not sure how the Pelicans keep up since they're missing key players and possibly some of their stars.
The Pacers should be able to attack the Pelicans' weaknesses — lack of depth and tired legs — in this game.
Pacers vs Pelicans Odds
| Pelicans Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+7 -115 | 237.5 -105o / -115u | +215 |
| Pacers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-7 -105 | 237.5 -105o / -115u | -265 |
The early-market signals suggest we could have some key Pelicans players out or at least pop up on the injury report.
For these scenarios, learning all the indicators and sources is important for timing the market. I'd recommend following the Pelicans and Pacers beat writers on Twitter about three hours before tip to see who's working out and what's being reported.
The line has moved from Pacers -3.5 to -5.5. I expect it to go further if the Pelicans are without Williamson and McCollum, and I expect it to stay flat or get shorter if all of the Pelicans' key players take the floor.
Try to time it as best as possible to get on the Pacers' side. This is a standard one-unit play for me. I wouldn't take it past -6.5 even with the injury news breaking right.
Pick: Pacers -6.5 (-115 at BetMGM)
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