NBA Handicapping Predictions – Thunder vs Pacers
Oklahoma City has the best record in the Western Conference, but after two straight losses they are just one game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs.
NBA Basketball Matchup: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers
7:00 PM EST
NBA Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
NBA Betting Favorite: Thunder -3
Over/Under: 200
How will the Thunder respond to two losses in a row? Indiana has won 8 of their last 11 games, and they are quietly all the way up to the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Oklahoma City is a small road-favorite in this one.
Oklahoma City has been as consistent as any team in the NBA this year. The Thunder are 17-9 away from home so far in 2012. Kevin Durant is the team’s leading scorer at 27.6 points per game.
He is shooting 50.2% from the floor. Russell Westbrook and James Harden have elevated their games in a big way, which has given this team three terrific scorers.
All three are capable of carrying the team at any given time. Oklahoma City leads the NBA in field goal percentage offense at 47.7%. They also shoot 80% from the free throw line as a team, which wins them a lot of close games. This team has improved a ton defensively in the past year. Opponents shoot just 42.3% against the Thunder. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Indiana wasn’t an easy out in the playoffs last year, and they have definitely gotten better this season. The team went out and brought in David West to bolster their frontcourt.
West averages 11.9 points and 6.5 boards for the Pacers. Roy Hibbert was an All-Star this year, and he has become more consistent in the middle. Paul George is an athletic wing who is having a great second season in the league. George averages 12.3 points per game, and he is a stat-sheer stuffer. Depth in the backcourt is a major strength for Indiana.
The Pacers have Collison, Barbosa, and Hill who are all solid players. Danny Granger is the team’s leading scorer. His numbers are down on the season, but he has picked up his output of late.
It’s hard to imagine the Thunder losing a third straight game.
This one should be close, but I expect Oklahoma City to pull it out in the end.
Prediction: Oklahoma City 103 Indiana 99
