The Indiana Pacers visit Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday evening. Indiana won the first meeting between the teams this season, toppling Philadelphia by a 119-110 margin on Jan. 31. The Pacers are just 15-17 on the season, though they sit at a respectable 8-7 in road games. The 76ers (22-12) are a blistering 14-3 in their home building this season. Joel Embiid (ankle) and Tobias Harris (knee) are questionable for Philadelphia, while Jeremy Lamb (knee) and Malcolm Brogdon (knee) are questionable for Indiana.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET in Philadelphia. William Hill Sportsbook lists Philadelphia as a five-point home favorite, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 223.5 in the latest Sixers vs. Pacers odds. Before making any Pacers vs. Sixers picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and it returned over $5,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks last season. The model also is up almost $8,700 on top-rated NBA picks over the past two-plus seasons. Dating back to last season, it enters Week 10 of the 2020-21 NBA schedule on a stunning 85-49 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on 76ers vs. Pacers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting trends for Pacers vs. 76ers:
- Pacers vs. 76ers spread: 76ers -5
- Pacers vs. 76ers over-under: 223.5 points
- IND: The Pacers are 3-7 against the spread in the last 10 games
- PHIL: The 76ers are 4-6 against the spread in the last 10 games
Why the Pacers can cover
The Pacers do have quality options in the frontcourt to help defend Embiid if he’s able to go. Domantas Sabonis was named to the All-Star team this year, and he is averaging 21.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game this season. Myles Turner leads the NBA with 3.4 blocked shots per game, and both present size and notable strengths.
As a team, the Pacers rank in the top 10 in effective field goal percentage allowed (53.0 percent), 2-point shooting allowed (50.9 percent), turnover creation rate (14.9 percent), steals (8.3 per game) and blocks (6.1 per game). Philadelphia is a bottom-five team in taking care of the ball, which could allow the Pacers to create even more havoc. The Pacers also rank in the top seven in offensive turnover rate (13.4 percent) and assists (26.6 per game) so far this season.
Why the 76ers can cover
Philadelphia is an above-average offensive team, scoring almost 1.12 points per possession for the season. The 76ers lead the NBA in free throw creation rate by a considerable margin, and the Pacers struggle to keep opponents away from the charity stripe defensively. In addition, Philadelphia is the No. 6 offensive rebounding team in the NBA, pulling down 29.0 percent of its own misses, and Indiana is a bottom-10 defensive rebounding unit.
Doc Rivers’ team is also a top-five group in overall defensive efficiency, yielding only 108.6 points per 100 possessions. Philadelphia is a top-10 team in shooting efficiency allowed and turnover creation, including the No. 1 mark in blocked shots (6.2 per game) and the No. 2 mark in steals (8.6 per game). With Embiid in the middle, the Sixers also excel at protecting the rim, allowing only 45.7 points in the paint per game.
How to make Pacers vs. Sixers picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, projecting both teams to combine for 222 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations. You can get that pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Pacers vs. Sixers? And which side of the spread hits over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that on an 85-49 roll on NBA picks.