Pacers vs Spurs NBA Odds, Picks and Predictions Tonight
With so many key pieces expected to miss for both sides, our NBA betting picks for this matchup have decided to look at the prop market. With potentially no Haliburton, we believe Pacers' big Myles Turner will scorch the Spurs down low.
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The Indiana Pacers head to the AT&T Center to face off against the San Antonio Spurs in NBA action on Thursday night.
The Pacers still have a shot at the playoffs but need to play well down the stretch, while the Spurs have one of the worst records in the league and are likely more concerned with landing the No. 1 pick in the draft.
NBA betting lines opened with Indiana as a 5.5-point road favorite with the Over/Under at 238. Here are my best free Pacers vs. Spurs NBA picks and predictions for March 2.
Pacers vs Spurs best odds
Pacers vs Spurs picks and predictions
It's tough to handicap a side or the total for this game with the status of so many key players up in the air. The Spurs have three starters listed as questionable and another listed as probable while the Pacers might be without their best player in Tyrese Haliburton.
With so many question marks about who will start tonight, it makes more sense to consider backing a player that we know will suit up like Myles Turner.
The center has been on fire lately and has scored at least 20 points in four of his last five games — including a 40-point explosion against the Celtics last week.
Even without Haliburton to set him up for a large part of January, Turner played well and eclipsed the 20-point plateau in three straight games at one point.
Turner should be able to go Over his points total of 19.5 against a San Antonio team that plays at a fast pace and struggles on defense even when at full strength.
My best bet: Myles Turner Over 19.5 points (-125)
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Pacers vs Spurs spread analysis
Indiana is 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS in its last four games, coming off a 124-122 road win against the Mavericks.
The Pacers are 28-35 and just two games behind the Wizards for the final spot in the play-in tournament. However, they have been favorites of -5 or greater just five times this season (going 2-3 ATS) and will have a tough time covering that spread if Haliburton doesn't suit up.
Haliburton made his All-Star debut two weeks ago and is averaging 20.1 ppg on 48/40/86 shooting splits while ranking second in the league with 10.1 assists per game.
He's listed as questionable for tonight with a calf injury, and when he was sidelined for 10 games in January Indiana went just 1-9 SU and 2-8 ATS with a net rating of -10.6.
The Spurs are back in front of their home fans after a lengthy road trip that saw them play nine consecutive away games. In their last contest, they beat the Jazz 102-94 to snap a 16-game losing streak where they went just 2-14 ATS.
They have the third-worst record in the NBA at 15-47 while posting the worst net rating at -10.2. This was one of the least talented teams in the league entering this season, and trading away Jakob Poeltl at the trade deadline while losing a slew of starters to injuries hasn't helped matters.
Leading scorer Keldon Johnson (21.8 ppg) is questionable for today along with point guard Tre Jones (12.8 ppg, 6.3 apg) who has missed nine of the last 10 games. Rookie Malaki Branham who averaged 16.8 ppg last month is also questionable.
Meanwhile, second-leading scorer Devin Vassell (19.4 ppg) is expected to return to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 2, but is coming off knee surgery and likely won't be at 100%.
Pacers vs Spurs Over/Under analysis
Both of these teams play at a fast tempo, with San Antonio seventh in the league in pace and the Pacers ninth. It's also worth noting that they have surprisingly played at a slightly faster pace with Jones and Haliburton sidelined.
They've also struggled on the defensive end of the floor, with the Spurs dead-last in the NBA in defensive rating and Indiana 26th.
With that combination of poor defense and up-tempo style, they've both given up plenty of points with Indiana giving up 117.5 ppg and San Antonio surrendering a league-worst 122.4 ppg.
That said, tonight's massive total of 237.5 looks a tad too high when you consider the Spurs are also terrible on offense while the Pacers' attack will severely regress if Haliburton sits out.
San Antonio is 25th in the league with 112.2 ppg while Indiana has averaged 112.1 ppg on 44.2% shooting in 12 games without Haliburton.
Pacers vs Spurs betting trend to know
The Spurs are 5-17 ATS in their last 22 games against a team with a losing record. Find more NBA betting trends for Pacers vs. Spurs.
