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The Philadelphia 76ers take on the Indiana Pacers in a battle of Eastern Conference contenders on Wednesday 11/17./18 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana.
The Sixers are fresh off a 25 point loss to lowly Brooklyn last November 4th while the Pacers are coming off a four point loss to the Houston Rockets last November 5.
Winless On The Road
After a great 2017-18 season and a good 2018 playoff run, The Sixers were expected to be one of the top teams in the LeBron-less Eastern Conference this season. But after 11 games played, Philly is just a middling team with a 6-5 record. The Sixers are a perfect 6-0 at home but they are still winless on the road this season.
Joel Embiid is off to a great start averaging 28.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 blocks for the Sixers. However, 2018 Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons has seen a slight dip in his scoring at 13.9 points per game this season. However, JJ Redick has been lights out for the Sixers with his 17.9 scoring average and 3.3 three point makes per game.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers 11/7/18
Moneyline Odds: 76ers +120, Pacers -140
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/6/18
Free Throw Problems
The Pacers carried a three game win streak against the Houston Rockets in their most recent game. However, the Pacers got outscored by 10 points in the final period and lost the game by four points. Indiana played solid defense as usual but gave up a dagger three to 2018 MVP James Harden with 34 second left that sealed Indiana’s loss. It didn’t help that the Pacers shot only 66.7% from the line in that game as their free throw problems proved to be costly in the end game.
Who Wins?
The 76ers lead the all-time series between these two teams at 97-78 but the Pacers have won eight of the last 10 meetings, including two out of three last season. The Sixers have yet to win on the road this season, going 0-5 SU away from home. Meanwhile, the Pacers are only 3-2 at home this season but are 5-2 when they are the betting favorites. The Sixers meanwhile are winless as dogs at 0-3 this season.
For the Pacers, free throw shooting has been one of their issues as they are only shooting 70.4% from the line this season, 3rd worst in the Eastern Conference. Other than that, they have been pretty solid from almost every facet and with three wins in their last four games, they may be beginning to hit their stride.
We’re picking the Indiana Pacers to beat the Philadelphia 76ers on 11/7/18.
Other Bets To Make
The Sixers are 0-5 ATS in five road games this season and are 4-7 ATS in 11 games played this season. The Pacers are 5-5-1 ATS in 11 games this season and 3-2 ATS in five home games played so far. Philadelphia is also 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games overall, 0-8 ATS in their last 8 road games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games versus teams with winning records. Indiana meanwhile 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games at home, 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games against teams from the Atlantic Division and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 Wednesday games.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers 11/7/18
Spread Odds: 76ers +2.5 (-115), Pacers -2.5 (-105)
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/6/18
The 76ers haven’t just lost all five games on the road this season, they have also failed to cover in all those games. They have also covered the spread in only one out of their last five games against the Pacers overall. Indiana hasn’t been spectacular this season but they’ve been solid and play controlled basketball. Because of that, they have been virtually unnoticed but if you dig up the stats, they rank 11th in the league in net rating.
Prediction: Pacers -2.5
The total has gone over in 6 out of the eleven games played by the Sixers this season and the total has also gone over in 3 out of their last five games on the road. The under is 7-4 in the Pacers’ 11 games played this season and the under is also 4-1 in Indiana’s five home games this year.
Philadelphia 76ers vs Indiana Pacers 11/7/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 216.5 -110, Under 216.5 -110
Odds from Sportsbetting.ag as of 11/6/18
Philadelphia ranks 6th in the NBA in defensive efficiency at 103.0 points per 100 possessions while Indiana is next to them at #7 with their 103.4 defensive rating. The Pacers also have the 2nd least pace in the league at 99.1 possessions per game. Two defensive teams in one game including one that uses the second fewest possession in the league is a recipe for a low scoring affair. I do not think this is going to be a shootout.
Prediction: Under 216.5
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