Resurgent Jazz Host Pacers Without Haliburton
Pacers vs Jazz Game Odds: Utah Climbs to -7 at Home
Life with star point guard Tyrese Haliburton continues Monday (9 p.m. ET) as Indiana visits Utah for the second half of a back-to-back. The Pacers have climbed to sixth in the Eastern Conference without the injured Haliburton but are coming off a loss to defending NBA champion Denver.
The Pacers opened as 6-point underdogs and are now +7 on the NBA line and +220 on the moneyline. Meanwhile, the Jazz are -260 favorites. The projected total is 245.5, with a slight lean to the Under at -115.
What can bettors expect? Read on as we break down both NBA teams and assess the Pacers vs Jazz game odds.
Indiana Pacers at Utah Jazz 
Day/Time:
Location: Delta Center; Salt Lake City, Utah
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Pacers vs Jazz Betting Trends
The Indiana Pacers are 23-16-1 against the spread, including 11-8 away from home. The Pacers are also 24-14-2, having gone Over the total in an NBA-high 63.2% of their games. Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz are 24-16-1 ATS, including 15-4 at home. The Jazz have gone Over the total in 22 of their 41 games.
Be sure to keep these trends in mind when assessing the Pacers vs Jazz game odds.
Holding Steady Without Haliburton
With the halfway point of the NBA season approaching, the Pacers (23-16) find themselves in the thick of contention in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won nine of their last 11 games but are coming off a 117-109 loss to Denver on Sunday.
Despite that, they’re still considered something of a longshot. Oddsmakers list the Pacers +5000 in the East and +12000 to win the NBA Finals.
Indiana has been the NBA’s highest-scoring team, averaging 126.1 points per game. It also leads the league in shooting percentage (51.1%) and assist rate (31.1). But Indiana also ranks 28th defensively (123.2), negating some of its success on the other end of the floor.
Indiana must make do without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who is expected to miss at least two weeks with a hamstring strain. Haliburton is averaging career highs in points (23.6) and assists (12.5) and has seen his MVP odds climb to +4000, tied with Boston’s Jayson Tatum for sixth-shortest in the league. Unfortunately for bettors, Haliburton’s NBA injury figures to put a big dent in those hopes.
Even so, Indiana has covered the spread in nine of its last 11 games and has the fifth-highest cover rate (59%) in the NBA. That includes marks of 13-9 ATS and 12-10 OU as an underdog. Indiana has also gone Over the total more than anyone in the league, which is no surprise given their style of play. That’s important to remember when analyzing the Pacers vs Jazz game odds.
Jazz Surging in West
It’s been a long climb, but after a terrible start, the Jazz (21-20) are above .500 for the first time this season. The Jazz have won five straight and 11 of 13, including Saturday’s 132-125 victory over the Lakers in, which they covered as 2.5-point favorites.
Utah now sits ninth in the Western Conference NBA playoff standings. Despite that, the Jazz are still +700 longshots to make the NBA playoffs.
The Jazz have a bona fide No. 1 scorer in Lauri Markkanen, who’s averaging 23.7 points along with 8.8 rebounds, and a solid supporting cast. However, Jordan Clarkson and John Collins both have been the subject of trade rumors, raising the possibility that Utah’s roster could look significantly different next month.
Utah ranks 11th in the NBA in scoring (116.4) and owns the second-best rebounding rate (46.7). But like Indiana, the Jazz are bottom-10 defensively (118.5) and haven’t shown the balance needed to separate themselves as legitimate contenders. Currently, only two teams have longer odds to win the West than the Jazz (+25000).
Despite that, the Jazz have been profitable for bettors, recording the NBA’s fourth-best record, ATS. They’ve covered in five straight games and are 15-4 ATS at home compared to just 10-12 on the road. The Jazz have also gone Over the total in 11 of their 19 home games.
Handicapping the Game
At the moment, there aren’t many teams hotter than Utah. The Jazz have won eight straight games at home and are 14-5 overall at the Delta Center. Indiana has already beaten the Jazz once, 134-118, on Nov. 8, but so much has changed over the last few months that it’s difficult to take much from that NBA matchup.
Because of injuries, Indiana’s depth in the backcourt has been tested. Haliburton remains out, while Aaron Nesmith (shin), who’s averaging 11.8 points in 25.4 minutes, is questionable after missing the front end of the back-to-back. The quick turnaround sure complicates things for Indiana.
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