Lakers vs. Pacers: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet
Our prediction and best bet for Friday’s Lakers versus Pacers game. The Lakers and Pacers have met twice this season, winning in the in-season tournament final in December. Indiana, currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 41-33 record, hopes to move into fifth place and potentially avoid the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers are currently ninth place in Western Conference and trail the Sacramento Kings by 1.5 games. Since losing to L.A. on Sunday, the Pacers have beaten the Los Angeles Clippers and lost to the Chicago Bulls. If Anthony Davis is expected to play, this may be a good opportunity to bet the Lakers.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Robert Marvi in Sports
The Lakers and Pacers have met twice already this season. Los Angeles won both contests, beginning with the in-season tournament final in December. Surely, Indiana will be very motivated to get this win, especially given the fact that it is in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 41-33 record and would like to move into fifth place. A fifth-place finish could mean avoiding the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.
Of course, the Lakers have their own motivation for winning on Friday, other than simply continuing to build momentum ahead of the play-in tournament. They’re currently in ninth place in the Western Conference, and they trail the Sacramento Kings, who are in the eighth spot, by just 1.5 games.
Since losing to L.A. on Sunday, the Pacers downed the struggling Los Angeles Clippers and got blown out by the Chicago Bulls. They’re still tops in points per game, assists per game and field-goal percentage while ranking second in offensive rating and fourth in fast-break points per game. Los Angeles is third in fast-break points per game, so this could be another high-scoring game, and we therefore recommend taking the over on the over-under for total points.
LeBron James and crew seem a bit more motivated and focused than they were earlier this season. There is a question of whether Anthony Davis will play after tweaking his knee on Tuesday versus the Milwaukee Bucks, but if he does play, this may be a good opportunity to go against the grain and pick the Lakers.
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Topics: Basketball, NBA, Los Angeles Lakers