Indiana will look to build on its two-game winning streak and pick up another win over Brooklyn when the teams meet Monday night. The Pacers beat Washington on Friday night before adding a victory over Brooklyn on Saturday. The Nets are now on a four-game losing streak and have lost five of their six games this season.
Pacers wrap up five-game road trip
Indiana got off to a slow start this season, losing four of its first five games. The Pacers lost two of those double-digit games, getting blasted by the 76ers and Bulls to open that five-game road trip. They responded with a pair of impressive performances, beating Washington and Brooklyn as underdogs. This will be the last game of the road trip before they return home for a pair of games against Miami and New Orleans. Indiana hasn’t been a strong offensive team this year, ranked No. 25 in the NBA in points (120.4). The Pacers, however, scored a lot against the Wizards and Nets.
record holders.🎯 pic.twitter.com/SVcQmnp9KT
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 30, 2022
Rookie goalie Bennedict Mathurin had 32 points against the Nets, while Tyrese Haliburton had eight assists. Brooklyn has now allowed an opposing player to score 30 points in four straight games. Center Jalen Smith grabbed 14 rebounds and has now led the team in that category four times this season. Mathurin and Haliburton each hit six 3-pointers, while Buddy Hield knocked down five triples. Haliburton is averaging 23.4 points so far after averaging 17.5 points in 26 games last season after being traded from Sacramento. Indiana is shooting 38.8 percent from beyond the arc after hitting 38 3-pointers over the past two games. Myles Turner rested Saturday after totaling 27 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks against Washington on Friday. He has played two games since his nine-month absence with an ankle injury and is expected to return on Monday.
Nets off to worst start since 2015-16
Brooklyn is off to a disastrous start to 2022, joining Los Angeles as the two most disappointing teams in the NBA. The Nets have lost five of their first six games, their only victory against Toronto in their second game. They have lost their four games since then, three of which by at least nine points. Brooklyn lost to Dallas in overtime on Thursday before falling to Indiana on Saturday. The Nets are off to their worst start since dropping the first seven games of the 2015-16 campaign, which led to head coach Lionel Hollins being fired after 37 games.
Brooklyn Final. pic.twitter.com/YlsdjSyHBY
— The Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 30, 2022
The Nets allowed an opposing player to score at least 30 points in four straight games, leading to a postgame meeting between the Brooklyn players. They tied a team record by allowing 23 3-pointers, which was the second game in a row where they allowed a team to make half of their triples. Brooklyn is allowing a league-worst 122.2 points per game and a league-worst 43.8 percent shooting from 3-point range. Guard Kyrie Irving got off to a good start offensively, scoring 30 points four times in five games. He scored 35 points in the loss to Indiana on Saturday. Ben Simmons doesn’t score much, but he’s provided at least eight assists in four games. Kevin Durant leads Brooklyn with 32.0 points and 3.7 assists per game.
Best bets for this game
Full game side bet
Insider status:
Evaluation:
Brooklyn is absolutely unsupportable right now, as the Nets are going to have to show signs of life before I’m ready to bet on them. They’ve covered just once in their last nine games since last season, and they’ve won in their last 10. They’re also 1-7 ATS in their last eight home games, so it’s hard to justify a bet on the Nets. Indiana has covered nine of its last 10 trips to Brooklyn and is riding a two-game winning streak. The Pacers were without Turner as he rested on Saturday, which gives me another reason to take them into Game 2 of this series.
Prediction: Pacers +8.5
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Insider status:
Evaluation:
Indiana is coming off one of the best shooting performances in team history. I don’t expect the Pacers to replicate that effort Monday night, but neither do I expect much from a Brooklyn defense that gives up the most points of any NBA team. Brooklyn has gone over the total in five of its last seven games, while Indiana has taken the most in 11 of its last 14 games. Turner scored 27 points in his second game after a nine-month hiatus, and he’s expected to be back on the court Monday.
Prediction: Over 237
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