Pacers vs. Thunder prediction and odds for Wednesday, January 18

fansided.com
 
Pacers vs. Thunder prediction and odds for Wednesday, January 18

The two best teams against the spread in the NBA face off on Wednesday night with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Indiana Pacers.

OKC was supposed to be in the sweepstakes for Victor Wembanyama this season, but they have exceeded expectations, sitting in the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference after three straight wins.

The Pacers have also played better than many expected, but with Tyrese Haliburton (elbow) out of the lineup, the Pacers have dropped four straight games to fall to eighth in the East.

This is just the ninth time all season that the Thunder have been favored at home, but they are 13-9 straight up in OKC this season.

Indiana is trying to find its identity without Haliburton, and it’s running into a buzz saw, as OKC has covered in six straight games.

Here’s how I’m betting on this matchup, along with the latest odds for this game:

Pacers vs. Thunder odds, spread and total

Pacers vs. Thunder prediction and pick

I will keep betting on the Thunder until they let me down, and they haven’t done that much this season.

OKC is extremely undervalued in the market, as it has been set as a short favorite in this game despite ranking 13th (!!) in the NBA in net rating this season.

The Pacers are 22nd in net rating, and now they don’t have their best player on the floor for this matchup.

There are a couple of trends that side with OKC as well, as the team is 5-3 against the spread as a home favorite, while the Pacers are average as road dogs, going 9-9 ATS.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to pose a major problem for this Pacers team that lacks and elite wing defender, and the Thunder have been red hot over their last 10 games, ranking fourth in the league in net rating.

This is an easy bet for OKC in my eyes.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.