The San Antonio Spurs (0-1) visit Gainbridge Fieldhouse to face the Indiana Pacers (0-1) Friday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET.
This Pacers squad really showcased an ability to tank with C Myles Turner out of the lineup after suffering a pregame injury Wednesday, losing 114-107 as 2.5-point ‘dogs to the Washington Wizards.
Indiana’s offense struggled to create open looks and its defense allowed too many second-chance opportunities giving up 14 offensive rebounds (the league average in the young season is 10.7). G Bennedict Mathurin and G Tyrese Haliburton kept this game from getting out of hand, but just barely.
This Spurs team is the youngest in franchise history and they had similar problems to the Pacers in their opener. They allowed the Charlotte Hornets to make 44.8% of their 3-point shots and fell in a hole early that few teams could climb out of, ultimately losing 129-102 as 1-point underdogs. F Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 20 points but was -11 differential on the floor.
Spurs at Pacers odds
- Moneyline (ML): Spurs +110 (bet $100 to win $110) | Pacers -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Spurs +1.5 (-110) | Pacers -1.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 232.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Spurs at Pacers key injuries
Spurs
- None
Pacers
- F Jalen Smith (knee) questionable
- C Daniel Theis (knee) out
- C Myles Turner (ankle) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Spurs at Pacers picks and predictions
Prediction
Pacers 106, Spurs 98
Moneyline
Favorites won 10 of the 14 games outright over the first 2 days of the season. The books expect a Pacers victory Friday, and so do I.
Both teams did not look good in their openers, but the Spurs gave up 129 to what is expected to be an unimpressive Hornets squad.
The Spurs went 7-34 from behind the arc Wednesday, and the Pacers’ defense held the Wizards to 11-of-31 from 3-point range in their opener. That should be enough to give Indiana their first win. That being said, the value is better ATS for just a basket.
PASS.
Against the spread
There is more value in taking the PACERS -1.5 (-110).
Only 3 favorites out of the 14 games played this season have won with a margin of fewer than 4 points.
Over/Under
So far the totals market is 6-7-1. There aren’t any trends but 232 points is a sizable ask and teams are averaging 110.5 points per game so far across the board. Both teams settled for 3s in their openers but neither was very good.
LEAN UNDER 232.5 (-110)