Pacers vs Nets Head to Head: Pacers Take Game 1 of Mini-Series
Pacers Look for Second Consecutive Win Over Nets
The Brooklyn Nets and the Indiana Pacers met just two days ago in Brooklyn with the Pacers winning 125-116. They meet again in Brooklyn on Monday night in what will be the second game of a two-game mini-series. The Pacers held a one-point lead at the half but outscored the Nets 62-54 in the second half to earn the nine-point win. Kyrie Irving finished the game with 35 points and Kevin Durrant added 26 points for the Nets. However, outside of those two, only two other players scored in double figures with Joe Harris and Royce O’Neale both adding 11. With only one win on the season, Brooklyn will look to snap its four-game losing streak with Monday’s Pacers vs Nets head to head matchup.
Game Information
Game: Indiana Pacers (3-4) at Brooklyn Nets (1-5)
Date, time (TV):
Location: Barclays Center
Target the Total
The total for Monday night’s game opened at 237.5 and has since been bet up to 239. We recommend taking the under in the Pacers vs Nets head to head matchup for a number of reasons. While the NBA final score in Saturday’s game between these two teams ended at 241, hitting the over in that game, both teams shot the ball exceptionally well.
For starters, the Indiana Pacers shot 50% from three-point land and set a franchise record with 23 threes on the night. Their previous record for threes in a regular-season game was set back in May of 2021 when they hit 21 from deep against the Milwaukee Bucks. Prior to Saturday’s record-setting performance, Indiana hadn’t made more than 16 threes in a single game this season and are shooting just 36% from deep in their first six games.
Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin also had his best performance of the season, adding a career-high 32 points, including six threes. While Mathurin has been a huge bright spot for the Pacers this season, it’s going to be hard for him to repeat that performance. Not to mention, it’ll be tough for the Pacers to shoot that well from behind the arc as a team. The Nets also did their part in adding to the total, shooting 50% from the field.
Brooklyn Bounces Back with Defense
It’s no secret that the Brooklyn Nets don’t exactly pride themselves on the defensive side of the ball. With Irving and Durrant leading the way, they can put points on the board with the best of them. Yet, they’re 1-5 on the season largely because they give up too many points on the defensive end. They rank 22nd in the league in opponents shooting percentage and dead last in opponent three-point shooting percentage, hence Indiana’s success from that area. If the Nets want to start winning games and climb up the NBA standings 2022, they are going to need to up their intensity and effort on the defensive side of the ball.
The books have the Brooklyn Nets odds to win this game set at -8, showing that they should be a significantly better team than the Pacers.
They also gave up 17 offensive rebounds to Indiana in the Pacers vs Nets head to head matchup on Saturday and were outrebounded altogether by 19. Yes, you read that right – 17 offensive boards! That accounts for quite a few extra possessions and points for Indiana who also topped Brooklyn by 10 in fast break points.
The books have the Brooklyn Nets odds to win this game set at -8, showing that they should be a significantly better team than the Pacers. If Brooklyn wants this game to play out in the same way the books are suggesting it will, they will need to rebound the basketball and limit Indiana’s perimeter shooting. If they can do that, we like the under 239 to hit in this game.
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