Clippers vs Pacers Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

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18 December 2023

Clippers vs Pacers Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight

The Clippers land in Indiana to face a potentially Tyrese Haliburton-less Pacers at Gainbridge Field House. Haliburton's status could affect the outcome of this contest in a variety of ways. See where our betting picks are leaning.

The Los Angeles Clippers appear to have figured something out, as they’ve ripped off seven wins in a row. They’ll try to keep things from unraveling in the Midwest, where they kick off a three-game road trip against an Indiana Pacers side that’s dropped three in a row.

LA are slight 2.5-point road favorites in the NBA odds, helped by the fact that all-world guard Tyrese Haliburton is questionable with a left knee bruise.

That is a big hit to the NBA’s best offense — see how that affects my free NBA picks for this cross-conference battle on Monday, December 18.

Clippers vs Pacers odds

Clippers vs Pacers predictions

That adjustment period integrating James Harden looks far in the rearview, as the Los Angeles Clippers seek their longest fun run since ripping off a 10-game win streak in the 2015-16 season. They crushed the Knicks 144-122 last time out, giving them a season-best seven wins in a row. It’s been a dominant streak, with a point differential of +11.3, averaging a cool 122.4 points per game on 51.2% shooting from the field and 40.8% from downtown.

That recent surge has played nicely with their defensive chops, as they rank fifth in the league in points allowed at 110. That’s the polar opposite of their opponents at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, who rank next-to-last in points allowed at 126.

No matter for the Indiana Pacers, though. Leading the NBA in pace, they usually outscore their defensive deficiencies, averaging 127.4 points per game on 50.4% shooting, also tops in the league. When the shots aren’t falling, however, it doesn’t look great. Take the last game, where they lost 127-109 to the league-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back — and without Tyrese Haliburton — the normally sharp-shooting Pacers shot just 6-for-21 from distance, way off their usual mark of 37.7% from 3-point range — the same rate the Clippers hit at, tied for ninth-best in the league.

Anything off in the Pacers' offensive machine and it’s usually game over, as they’re currently not built for stops. The Timberwolves shot 55.8% from the field and an even sharper 18-for-30 from distance, a blistering 60% clip.

Even if Haliburton is a go, the Clips can throw a bevy of defenders at him and force him to give up the ball, the blueprint the Lakers showcased during the In-Season Tournament.

Look for the Clippers to keep on streaking.

My best bet: Clippers moneyline (-130 at DraftKings)

Clippers vs Pacers same-game parlay

Clippers moneyline

James Harden Over 8.5 assists

Kawhi Leonard Over 2.5 made threes

Harden’s recent run is likely what upper management thought possible when bringing a fourth star to Hollywood to mesh with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook. In the last seven games, the Beard has led the team in assists in all but one, with three points and assists double-doubles, including the last two.

Against the Knicks, Harden took just six shots but still had 10 points and 12 dimes. Before that, in a win over the Warriors, he took 12 shots and finished with 28 points but dished out 15 assists — his high as a Clipper — and also added seven rebounds and four blocks.

He’s averaging 9.9 assists over this stretch and should find plenty of defensive lapses to exploit against Indiana. I wouldn’t be surprised if he topped 10 assists for a third straight game.

As for Kawhi, the lone member of the talented foursome with any title hardware, he appears to have finally taken the reins as the man. Over the last five games, he’s averaged 33.8 points while on nearly 18 field goal attempts per game. Leonard is also sizzling from downtown, hitting 56.8% from distance in December on just under 5.5 attempts per game. He’s coming off a 5-for-6 effort from beyond the arc against the Knicks, and has hit at least two 3-pointers in the last five games, crossing his 2.5 makes prop three times.

The Pacers have been lit on fire by their opponents from long distance, allowing a league-worst 39.6%.

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Clippers vs Pacers spread and Over/Under analysis

Haliburton's uncertainty has left the books to delay the odds, with many sites offering the spread in the 2-2.5-point range with few fluctuations.

Both teams hover around the .500 mark when it comes to covering the spread. LA is 12-13-0 ATS, while the Pacers are 13-11-0 ATS.

The Pacers are undefeated against the spread as a home dog this year, but it’s a small sample at 3-0-0. The Clips are 3-3-0 ATS as a road favorite.

The same goes for the total, which opened at 240 Sunday evening with nothing much to report since. Not surprisingly, the Over is an NBA-best 18-6-1 in Pacers games, as many of their games turn into track meets.

Not so much for the Clippers, who, despite going Over in their last two starts, have only crossed the total 10 times in 25 games.