Oklahoma City Thunder vs Indiana Pacers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/31/2023

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, March 31, 2023

Venue:  Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Where to Watch:  BSIN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Thunder -3.5, Pacers +3.5; Over/Under:  235.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Thunder -3.5, Pacers +3.5; Over/Under:  235.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Thunder -3.5, Pacers +3.5; Over/Under:  235.5 points

Oklahoma City Thunder:  38-39 (3rd place, Northwest Division)

Indiana Pacers:  33-44 (4th place, Central Division)

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Oklahoma City Thunder:  6-4 last 10

Indiana Pacers:  3-7 last 10

The Thunder are coming into this game with a 38-39 record overall and they are 15-23 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a win against the Detroit Pistons in their last game. Jalen Williams led the team in points in that game with 27 while Luguentz Dort was next on the team with 20 points. Josh Giddey led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Jalen Williams led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 44.8% from the field, 34.5% from 3-point range, and 76% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.4 PPG against them. The Thunder have an ATS record of 43-31-3 this season and their O/U record is 44-33.

The Pacers are coming into this game with a 33-44 record overall and they are 19-19 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 4 game losing streak with losses coming against the Boston Celtics, the Atlanta Hawks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Milwaukee Bucks in their last game. Bennedict Mathurin led the team in points in that game with 29 while Aaron Nesmith was next on the team with 22 points. Andrew Nembhard led the team in assists in that game with 15 while Bennedict Mathurin led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 52.5% from the field, 46.7% from 3-point range, and 72.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 119.1 PPG against them. The Pacers have an ATS record of 39-37-1 this season and their O/U record is 39-37-1.

The current betting odds have the Pacers listed as a 3.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Pacers haven't been great this season with their 33-44 record overall but they were actually a much better team earlier in the season. Injuries started to plague their star players though and they have been on the decline ever since, but they have still been a better home team in these games with a 19-19 home record this year. They aren't playing well lately with 4 losses in a row now but the Thunder haven't been any better this season and have been playing very poorly lately. They have a losing 38-39 record overall and they have been terrible in their road games with a 15-23 road record. They just won their last game against the Pistons but they were at home for that game and only won by 1 point, also losing to the Hornets at home in their game right before that one against the Pistons. The Thunder are in a position to make the playoffs as they were a much improved team this year but they are going to have a ton of pressure on them in these final games with their star player still banged up too. The Pacers will be looking to play spoiler here and they are good enough to beat a banged up Thunder team who hasn't been playing well at all lately. The best way to place a bet here is on the Pacers to cover the spread in this game.

Thunder Pacers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Friday, March 31, 2023 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Pacers 106 Thunder 102.

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Oklahoma City Thunder: 12-4 ATS after 2 consecutive non-conference games. 23-14 OVER after 1 or more consecutive wins. 23-15 OVER after playing a home game.

Indiana Pacers: 2-9 ATS after a game where they allowed a shooting pct. of 55% or higher. 3-10 ATS after allowing 130 points or more. 46-20 OVER off a home loss.

Oklahoma City Thunder:  L. Waters III (SF) Ques Fri - Foot. S. Gilgeous-Alexander (PG) Ques Fri - Ankle. K. Williams (SG) out for season - Wrist. C. Holmgren (C) out for season - Foot.

Indiana Pacers:  C. Duarte (SG) Ques Fri - Ankle. M. Turner (C) Ques Fri - Ankle. T. Haliburton (PG) Ques Fri - Ankle. B. Hield (SG) Ques Fri - Illness. K. Brown (SG) out for season - Shin.

“We were grittier tonight than we were last night. And I thought the response of our players coming off of a disappointing performance last night was right where it needed to be, and this team’s made a habit of that all year. We’re not perfect, but these guys do a great job of refocusing and getting the car back on the road, and I thought they did that tonight.” - Mark Daigneault after his team’s win against the Pistons in their game on Wednesday.

“It starts with Giannis, one of the best players in the world. It's always tough playing a guy like him who is so different. You have to really lock into him. Then other guys get going, Jrue comes in and gets 51. It's tough to beat them on a night like that.” - Jordan Nwora after their loss against the Bucks in their game on Wednesday.

PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SG Josh Giddey

SF Luguentz Dort 

PF Jalen Williams

C Jaylin Williams

PG Tyrese Haliburton

SG Andrew Nembhard 

SF Buddy Hield

PF Aaron Nesmith

C Jalen Smith

PPG: S. Gilgeous-Alexander (31.3)

APG: J. Giddey (6.2)

Reb/G: J. Giddey (7.9)

PPG: T. Haliburton (20.7)

APG: T. Haliburton (10.4)

Reb/G: M. Turner (7.5)

Coaches:

Oklahoma City Thunder: Mark Daigneault (3rd season)

Indiana Pacers: Rick Carlisle (2nd season)