Indiana Pacers vs. Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The championship game of the NBA Cup, the league’s in-season tournament, comes to you from the city that never sleeps on the hardwood. It’s the Indiana Pacers making the trip to take on the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night with $500,000 per player and the title on the line. Indiana advanced to the title game as they downed the Bucks 128-119 in the semifinals Thursday afternoon, winning outright as a 5.5-point underdog. Los Angeles punched their ticket to the title game as they pulverized the Pelicans 133-89 to easily cover the line as a two-point favorite Thursday night. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Lakers own a 64-34 advantage, including a 112-111 road win in the most recent matchup on February 2, 2023.

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Indiana Pacers Seek to Finish What They Started

Indiana punched their ticket to the championship game as they knocked off Milwaukee in the semifinals Thursday afternoon. The Pacers entered Friday 12-8 on the season and stood second in the Central Division, two games behind the Bucks for the top spot in the division. Against Milwaukee, Indiana trailed by two after the opening quarter, took a 12-point lead at the half but was outscored 43-28 in the third quarter to trail by three entering the final stanza. The Pacers took the lead for good at 107-106 on a Bruce Brown jumper with 6:15 to play and they pulled away in the last couple minutes to earn the win. Indiana shot 49% from the field, including seven of 33 from three-point range, and held a 51-46 advantage on the boards in the game. Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 27 points, seven rebounds and 15 assists in the win.

For the year, Indiana is 1 in the league in scoring offense with 128.4 points per game this season. The Pacers are 29 in rebounding with an average of 40.1 boards a night while they are 1 in assists by dishing out 30.2 dimes per contest. Indiana is 29 in scoring defense as they allow an average of 124.9 points per game on the year. Tyrese Haliburton leads the Pacers in scoring with 26.9 points plus 12.1 assists per game. Bennedict Mathurin (13 points), Buddy Hield (13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists), Myles Turner (17.1 points, eight rebounds, 2.1 blocks), Jalen Smith (10 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Bruce Brown (12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds) are solid scoring options this season. Aaron Nesmith (11 points), Obi Toppin (13 points), Jordan Nwora, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard and Isaiah Jackson are other rotation pieces for Indiana. The Pacers are 1 in the league in field goal percentage as they are shooting 50.8% from the floor as a team. Indiana is 4 in the league in threes per game as they splash 14.8 triples per contest and the team is 6 by shooting 38.1% from beyond the arc on the year.

Nesmith (knee) left the game against the Bucks Thursday afternoon and has been ruled out for this contest. Smith (heel) has missed the last four games and is questionable for this contest so watch for information about whether he will play here.

Los Angeles Lakers Look to Claim Inaugural NBA Cup Crown

Los Angeles completely demolished New Orleans in their semifinal matchup Thursday night as they rolled into the title game with a complete beatdown. The Lakers entered Friday night 14-9 on the season and they held a one-game lead over the Suns and Kings for the top spot in the Pacific Division. Against New Orleans, Los Angeles trailed by one after the opening quarter and led by two with 3:08 to play in the half before closing the half on a 14-3 run to take a 13-point lead at the half. The Lakers blew the game open with a 43-17 edge in the third quarter to lead by 40 and coasted home from there. Los Angeles shot 54.7% from the field, including 17 of 35 from three-point range, and controlled the glass by a 59-42 margin in the contest. LeBron James led the Lakers with 30 points, five rebounds and eight assists in the win.

The Lakers are 16 in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 113.1 points per game. Los Angeles is 10 in rebounding with 44.8 boards per contest and 10 in assists with 26.3 per game. The Lakers stand 13 in the league in scoring defense as they allow 112 points per night. LeBron James is leading the team with 25 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per contest this season. Anthony Davis contributes 22.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a night while D’Angelo Russell chips in 16.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per contest. Austin Reaves (14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists) and Rui Hachimura (11.4 points) each average in double figures. Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Christian Wood, Gabe Vincent, Max Christie and Jaxson Hayes are looked to contribute for coach Darvin Ham. The Lakers are 6 in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 48.4% from the floor as a team. Los Angeles is 30 in the league with 10.2 triples per game while standing 27 in three-point shooting by shooting 34.3% from downtown.

Vincent (knee) last played on October 30 and is expected to be out until mid-December.

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Los Angeles has played solid basketball but they have yet to run into a team like the Pacers. Indiana can slice and dice teams offensively, as we’ve seen throughout the in-season tournament, led by the explosive Haliburton. Taking down a pair of division leaders in the Celtics and Bucks is no easy feat, much less under the pressure of a knockout stage situation like Indiana has faced. The Pacers seem unflappable and the Lakers, even with their pedigree and the duo of James plus Davis, isn’t going to rattle this Indiana squad. In a game that ends up being decided late, the Pacers’ youth and depth proves critical as they earn the NBA Cup crown. Take the points here to be safe but don’t be surprised if the Pacers win outright.

Prediction: Indiana Pacers +4.5

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Indiana enters this game having seen the over post a sizzling 16-4 mark in their first 20 games entering Friday night this season. The Pacers are 3rd in the league in turnovers as they commit 12.6 turnovers per contest. Indiana is the fastest team in the league in relation to tempo as they are first in the league with an average of 104.2 possessions per contest on the year. Los Angeles enters this game with the under posting a 14-9 mark in their 23 games on the year. The Lakers are 21st in turnovers with an average of 14.7 miscues per contest. Los Angeles is 8th in the league in tempo with an average of 100.2 possessions per game. Look for this game to wind up falling a few points short of the total in this contest as the neutral site proves to be a bit of a hindrance.

Prediction: Under 240.5

Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO.  If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career.  Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.