Indiana Pacers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, Preview, and Odds

This Wednesday, the (23-22) Indiana Pacers will travel to Oklahoma City, OK to take on the (21-23) Oklahoma City Thunder. Tipoff will be at 8:00 PM EST inside the Paycom Center. This will be the first meeting between these two teams this regular season, as I am expecting them to battle in this one.

The Pacers are entering this game after falling to the Milwaukee Bucks, 132-119. They struggled on the defensive end of the court, as they will have to get more stops in this one if they want to take down the Thunder on the road.

The OKC Thunder are coming into this one after defeating the Brooklyn Nets, 112-102. They performed great on the defensive end of the court, as they made it extremely difficult for the Nets to consistently score. They will have to repeat that performance if they want to stay hot at home.

I am (6-3-1) in my last 10 Best Bets and I am looking to dominate with this pick today! I have found value in the TCU vs. West Virginia game, as one of these teams has the advantage. If you're looking to put some coin in your pockets, don't skip out on this pick! Buy my CBB Best Bet and I will see you back in the GREEN!

This game was written/published before last night's results.

Can the Pacers Hold Up on the Road?

The Indiana Pacers are currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they trail the Boston Celtics by nine games. On offense, they are scoring 115.5 points per game and they have shot 46% from the field. This is the 10th most points scored per contest and the 23rd-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Pacers have an adjusted offensive rating of 113.8, which is the 15th-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Buddy Hield has stepped up since Tyrese Haliburton went out, as he is scoring 18 points per game on 45% shooting from the field. Indiana has also shown that they can score from anywhere on the offensive end of the court. They are shooting 36.5% from deep, which is the 11th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. The Pacers have also taken care of business at the charity stripe, as they are shooting 80.4% from the line. This is the sixth-highest free throw shooting percentage, as they can't miss out on these free points and expect to win these games.

On the defensive end of the court, the Pacers are allowing 116.3 points per game and they are allowing their opponents to shoot 46.8% from the floor. This is the 22nd most points surrendered per contest and the 10th-lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Pacers have the 23rd-lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. Indiana has continued to contest shots near the rim, but their perimeter defense has lacked. They are allowing their opponents to shoot 37% from behind the arc, which is the 28th-lowest three-point shooting percentage surrendered in the league. The Indiana Pacers are also grabbing 42.2 rebounds per game, which is the 22nd most. They have to crash the defensive glass if they want to keep the Thunder from scoring second-chance points.

Injury Report: Tyrese Haliburton PG (Knee), Kendall Brown SG (Leg), and Daniel Theis PF (Knee) are out.

Are the Thunder For Real?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently in 12th place in the Western Conference standings, as they are 9.5 games back from the Denver Nuggets. On offense, they are scoring 116.8 points per game and they have shot 46.5% from the floor. This is the ninth most points scored per game and the 20th-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the OKC Thunder have the 18th-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has continued to dominate on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 30.7 points per game on 50.3% shooting from the floor. The Thunder have shown that they can attack the rim and shoot on the outside, as their young core has continued to mesh together. They are shooting 35.7% from behind the arc, which is the 17th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. Luckily, they have taken care of business at the charity stripe as well. The Thunder are shooting 79.5% from the line, which is the 11th-highest free-throw shooting percentage. Making these shots toward the end of the game is crucial if they want to win these games.

On the defensive end of the court, the Thunder have struggled to consistently stop their opponents. They are surrendering 116 points per contest and their opponents have shot 46.4% from the floor. This is the 21st least amount of points allowed per game and the sixth-lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, OKC has an adjusted defensive rating of 112.4, which is the 10th lowest rating in the NBA. They have also shown that they will consistently contest shots near the rim or on the perimeter. They are holding their opponents to 35.5% shooting from behind the arc, which is the 13th-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed in the league. OKC is also snatching 44.3 rebounds per game, which is the eighth most.

Injury Report: Eugene Omoruyi SF (Back) is questionable. Aleksej Pokusevski PF (Knee), Ousmane Dieng PF (Wrist), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl PF (Ankle), and Chet Holmgren C (Foot) are out.

Best Bets for this Game

Full-Game Side Bet

Insiders Status:

Rating:

I will be sticking with the home team in this matchup and I am going to lay the points (-4.5). The Pacers are without Tyrese Haliburton in this game and they have continued to struggle on the defensive end of the court. The Thunder are also (6-4) in their last 10 and they've won three straight. They are playing great basketball right now and SGA is very difficult to stop. He will lead the Thunder on the offensive end of the court and carry them to victory. OKC is also scoring the ninth most points per game and they have the 10th lowest adjusted defensive rating, according to dunksandthrees.com. They are getting the job done on both ends of the court and I see that trend continuing in this one. Indiana is holding their opponents to the 22nd least amount of points per game and they have struggled to defend behind the arc. The Thunder will score consistently throughout and cover the spread in this game.

Pick the OKC Thunder and lay the points at home (-4.5).

Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder -4.5

Full-Game Total Pick

Insiders Status:

Rating:

I will be hammering the over in this game, as both of these teams will have enough possessions to push this total over the number. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Pacers have the fifth-highest adjusted tempo rating and the Thunder have the third-highest. Both of these teams will look to push the ball up the court with pace and score as quickly as they can. They will also attempt to score in transition, which will only help us reach the over. I haven't been impressed by either of these teams on the defensive end of the court either. The Pacers are surrendering the 22nd most points per game and they have allowed their opponents to shoot 37% from behind the arc. The Thunder will take advantage, but they will struggle defensively as well. They are allowing the 21st most points per game and the Pacers are averaging 115.5 points. Indiana will consistently score throughout this game and help push this total over the number.

Hammer the over and expect a fast-paced, high-scoring game.

Prediction: Over

Mason graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder and he has been watching SportsCenter since before he could walk. He has been crunching numbers since he could learn to count and nothing makes Mason happier in this world than talking sports, unless he is on the golf course! We are very happy to have added Mason to our team at StatSalt and you will be glad as well. Let's win some money!