Injured OKC Face Underdog Thunder vs Pacers Odds
Oklahoma City Likely Without SGA, Williams
The Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Indiana Pacers in a big game for the latter. The NBA East standings show the Pacers in the No. 6 spot, a half-game ahead of Miami. The Thunder are in a much better position standings-wise. But they will likely be short-handed once again.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is listed as out, with Jalen Williams considered doubtful for Friday’s contest. The Thunder vs Pacers odds have seen Indiana climb to a 5.5-point favorite after opening as a 4-point favorite. The total is at 234 points.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers 
Records: Thunder (52-24), Pacers (43-35)
Day/Time:
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Streams: Bally Sports Indiana, KSBI OKC
Thunder Without Top Two Scorers
Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams are the top two scorers for Oklahoma City, averaging a combined 49.8 points per game. They’re also the team’s assist leaders and steal leaders. You can’t replace these players, so it will be up to others to pick up. The Thunder have several guards who can give the team more minutes in the short term.
Injuries have made plenty of Oklahoma City‘s stats and trends pretty meaningless. The Thunder have been decent underdogs during the season and have bounced back after poor efforts. Oklahoma City is 7-1 straight-up after a double-digit defeat, but all eight games had them as favorites.
The Thunder will need to try to pick it up defensively. Oklahoma City is No. 3 in defensive field goal percentage. The team did a poor job defending against Indiana last month, when the Indiana Pacers won 121-111 on the road. The Thunder vs Pacers odds had OKC favored by 6 and the total was 241.5.
Indiana Looking to Stay in Top Six
For the Pacers, staying in the top six and avoiding the play-in altogether is the goal. That will make Sunday’s game with Miami a big one. But the Pacers have a favorable schedule. It all begins with tonight’s game, where Indiana needs to take advantage of a shorthanded team.
The Pacers are coming off a loss to Brooklyn and are 21-11-2 against the spread (ATS) after a setback. Indiana is 10-4 ATS as a favorite after a loss, so it’s a favorable situation. Those who back Indiana here have to hope the Pacers are focused and not looking ahead a bit to Sunday. Indiana is just 15-11 straight-up as a home favorite and 12-13-1 ATS.
Defense has been optional for the Pacers this season, who are last in the league in defensive field goal percentage. Big man Myles Turner is listed as questionable for Indiana and is one of the team’s better defensive players. The NBA rumors don’t lean one way or the other regarding his status tonight.
What to Expect
You have to expect a better effort from Oklahoma City in this game than in the previous game against Boston. The Celtics won 135-100, although Boston can do that to opponents. It was the second game of a back-to-back, which isn’t ideal for a team dealing with injuries. This is still the team’s third game in four nights.
Indiana needs a win and will likely try and get the Thunder in a shootout. When you have the better players on the court, it makes sense to try and get as many possessions as possible.
Who to Bet On?
The Thunder vs Pacers odds reflect the injuries to Oklahoma City. The question is if the point spread is accounting for them enough. If Oklahoma City plays like it did against Philadelphia on Tuesday, the Thunder will be in the game. That’s all you’re hoping to see if you back the Thunder.
It’s hard to ignore how well the Pacers have played after a loss, especially when you consider how underdogs have typically performed after a loss by 30+ points: 18-28 ATS.
There are two NBA games today with this situation. The Thunder and Raptors were both on the wrong side of blowouts last time on the court. Oklahoma City isn’t the typical team to suffer a 30-point loss. It was a 10-point game entering the fourth quarter when the Thunder ran out of steam and were outscored 42-17.
This is a tough game to wager due to the injuries. But if you have to play it, Thunder +5.5 is likely the right side.
For NBA betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
