The Portland Trail Blazers (26-33) will visit the Indiana Pacers (34-24) in a cross-conference battle on Thursday evening. Portland will be without All-NBA guard Damian Lillard (groin). Indiana has some injury concerns as well with Victor Oladipo (back) and Edmond Sumner (hip) listed as questionable in this matchup.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Sportsbooks list the Pacers as 9.5-point home favorites, holding steady from the opener, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 218.5 in the latest Blazers vs. Pacers odds. Before making any Pacers vs. Blazers picks or NBA predictions, see what SportsLine’s advanced computer model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and last season it returned a whopping $4,280 on its top-rated spread and money line picks. It’s already returned well over $3,000 in profit on all top-rated NBA picks during the 2019-20 season and entered Week 19 a blistering 47-30 on all top-rated spread picks this season. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Blazers vs. Pacers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are the NBA odds and trends for Pacers vs. Trail Blazers:
- Blazers vs. Pacers spread: Pacers -9.5
- Blazers vs. Pacers over-under: 218.5 points
- Blazers vs. Pacers money line: Pacers -529, Blazers +379
- POR: The Blazers have failed to cover the spread in five straight games
- IND: The Pacers are 3-4 against the spread in the last seven games
Why the Blazers can cover
The model knows that the Blazers, even without Lillard, have a strong offensive team. CJ McCollum is averaging 21.9 points per game on the season, and he is capable of taking on a larger role as the No. 1 option. McCollum is flanked by Hassan Whiteside, averaging 15.9 points and 14.2 rebounds per game, and the Blazers are also one of the best teams in the NBA at avoiding turnovers.
That should help Portland to maximize possessions, even against a quality opponent. Defensively, the Blazers are not fantastic, but they are above-average in limiting opponent shooting efficiency. From there, the Pacers have severe weaknesses in offensive rebounding and free-throw creation, which could tilt things in Portland’s favor.
Why the Pacers can cover
Even so, Portland isn’t a lock to cover the Blazers vs. Pacers spread. The model also has considered that the Pacers have strong offensive characteristics to lean on against a porous Portland defensive. Indiana ranks in the top 10 of the NBA in shooting efficiency and in the top five in avoiding turnovers.
In contrast, the Blazers almost never create turnovers defensively, and they struggle to protect the defensive glass. Indiana’s defense is also stout, with top-seven marks in shooting efficiency allowed and points allowed per possession. The Pacers should also be able to keep the Blazers away from the free-throw line, particularly in a game that does not feature Lillard as Portland’s offensive centerpiece.
How to make Blazers vs. Pacers picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, with Domantas Sabonis projected to fall short of his scoring average and Lillard out of the lineup. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations.
So who wins Trail Blazers vs. Pacers and which side of the spread hits in well over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pacers vs. Blazers spread you need to jump on Thursday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
