2023 NBA In-Season Tournament final odds, picks, time: Pacers vs. Lakers prediction from expert on 20-3 roll
The Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers will battle in the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament final on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Pacers (12-8, 6-0 Tournament), winners in the Eastern Conference, advanced to the title game on Thursday with a 128-119 win over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. The Lakers (14-9, 6-0 Tournament) dominated in the Western Conference, advancing with an emphatic 133-89 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals.
Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. Los Angeles leads the all-time series 68-36. Los Angeles is a 4.5-point favorite in the latest Pacers vs. Lakers odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points is 242.5. Before making any Lakers vs. Pacers picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's Matt Severance.
Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, Matt quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. Over the past two NBA seasons, he has returned $3,215 for $100 bettors, and he enters this matchup on a sizzling 20-3 roll on all NBA picks (+965). Anybody following him has seen huge returns.
Now, Severance has set his sights on Pacers vs. Lakers and just locked in his picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Lakers vs. Pacers:
- Pacers vs. Lakers spread: Lakers -4.5
- Pacers vs. Lakers over/under: 242.5 points
- Pacers vs. Lakers money line: Pacers +157, Lakers -186
- IND: The Pacers have hit the team total over in 32 of their last 43 games (+19.15 units
- LAL: The Lakers have hit the money line in 53 of their last 89 games (+20.65 units)
- Pacers vs. Lakers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Lakers can cover
Small forward LeBron James has been dominant over the past two tournament games, scoring 30 points in the win over the Pelicans on Thursday, and recording a double-double in the quarterfinal win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. In that game, James scored 31 points, dished out 11 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and had five steals. In 22 starts this season, he leads the team in scoring at 25 points per game, while grabbing 7.5 rebounds, dishing out 6.6 assists and adding 1.5 steals in 33.4 minutes of work. In 27 career games against the Pacers, he is averaging 27.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.3 steals.
Also helping power Los Angeles is power forward Anthony Davis. He has a streak of 11 consecutive games with a double-double and has 19 on the season. Against Phoenix in the quarterfinals, Davis poured in 27 points, while grabbing 15 rebounds. He followed that up with 16 points and 15 rebounds in just 31 minutes against the Pelicans in the semifinals. For the season, he is averaging 22.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.7 blocks and one steal in 35 minutes of action. See which team to pick here.
Why the Pacers can cover
Indiana took out two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights in back-to-back tournament games with wins over the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks this past week, outscoring them by a combined 250-231. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton has been dominant, posting a triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the quarterfinal win over the Celtics. The fifth-year veteran who is just 23 years old scored 27 points and dished out 15 assists in the semifinals against the Bucks. In 18 games this season, he is averaging 26.9 points, 12.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds.
Center Myles Turner has also been a big part of the Pacers' success. He has registered three consecutive double-doubles, including a 26-point and 10-rebound effort against Milwaukee on Thursday. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's win over Boston. For the year, he has played in and started 20 games, averaging 17.1 points, eight rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.4 assists. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pacers vs. Lakers picks
Severance is leaning Under on the total, and he's also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks.
