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The Indiana Pacers have struggled to win games on the road recently. The Oklahoma City Thunder have had difficulty winning anywhere. Something has to give when the two meet for the second time in two weeks, this time in OKC on Wednesday night.
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The Thunder’s stretch of five losses in six games began with a 108-106 come-from-ahead loss in Indy. It continued on Monday when Russell Westbrook had shooting accuracy issues and OKC was leveled by Memphis. Meanwhile, the Pacers will attempt to end a road losing streak that has reached eight straight.
Indiana Pacers at Oklahoma City Thunder
Date and Time: Wednesday, March 27, 2019, 8 p.m. ET
Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
Opening NBA Odds: Oklahoma City -6, O/U 215.5
Packers at Thunder TV Coverage: ESPN
Odds Analysis
The Pacers are trying to give up their spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race, but no one has made a move to supplant them as the No. 4 seed. Indy can maintain its hold and home court advantage in the first round by winning games away from home, something they haven’t done in the last eight tries. Following a win over the Thunder on Mar. 14, the Pacers took a four-game journey through the West and came up empty, scoring more than 100 points just once. Owning the NBA’s top scoring defense has allowed Indy to go 45-29, and they ended their slide with a 124-88 romp over Denver on Sunday.
The ebbs and flows of an 82-game season are evident in OKC’s play. It wasn’t long ago the Thunder were beating on the door of the Nuggets and Warriors, who reside in the top two spots out West. Their offense was efficient and the wins were plentiful. Going 6-11 since the All-Star break instead has them at the bottom of the conference playoff standings. Even playing at home hasn’t cured their ills. The Thunder have lost three straight and are 2-5 at Chesapeake Energy Arena since Feb. 23.
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Pacers
When leading scorer Victor Oladipo was lost for the season with an injury in late January, many felt the Pacers stay in the top half of the East standings would end. It may still, but they are scratching and clawing while fending off the rest of the competition. The Pacers weren’t an offensive juggernaut when Oladipo was healthy and his loss allowed others to chip in a little more. They average nearly 108 points per game, which in today’s NBA has them ranked 22nd.
Occasionally you see outbursts like what happened on Sunday. The Pacers hadn’t scored more than 109 points in any of their previous eight games and tallied less than 100 points in four of them. Bojan Bogdanovic has flourished averaging 21.3 points in since Oladipo’s injury. He scored 35 points in just under 26 minutes against the Nuggets. They don’t score a lot, but the production is balanced with seven players averaging in double-figures, not including Oladipo.
Thunder
When you count on two players for a bulk of your offense, plenty can go wrong. And it has recently for the Thunder. Westbrook and Paul George are both having marvelous seasons and their numbers are crazy. But when one or both struggle, the results are usually bad. It was Westbrook’s turn on Monday. He finished with 16 points and seven assists, but he made just 6 of 20 field goals and was an awful 1 of 6 on three-point attempts.
Prior to the All-Star break the Thunder were one of the most explosive offensive teams in the NBA. Since the hiatus, OKC has been one of the least efficient clubs on that end of the court. Only the New York Knicks have a worse efficiency rating in that span. “The thing that doesn’t allow greatness is inconsistency,” coach Billy Donovan said after Monday’s loss to Memphis, OKC’s fifth in the last six games. PG13 scored 30 in that game but he and Russ combined to hit just 16 of 49 shots. As quickly as the slump started, the Thunder can get out of it. Avoiding a seventh or eighth place finish in the conference should be enough motivation since the defending champs are waiting on the other side when the postseason begins.
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Bet Pacers at Thunder at BookMaker.eu
The Pacers are among the best at cashing the under and it’s hard to imagine points being plentiful in this contest. The lower the score the better for Indy, and their pace could be frustrating for a team that’s trying bust out of a slump. Indy has balanced scoring and the No. 1 scoring defense, and they have to win on the road at some point. The Pacers were 17-12 away from home prior to their skid, and they overcame a big deficit to win the first meeting. I like the visitors to win this game outright while the Thunder work to solve their problems.
NBA Score Prediction: Pacers 106, Thunder 102
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