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The New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers will have their first of two meetings this season on Wednesday. New Orleans will try to beat Indiana despite playing less than 24 hours after demolishing the New York Knicks 115-92 on Tuesday. Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy III are expected to lead the Pelicans’ bid of winning back-to-back road games.
The Pacers are raring to bounce back after suffering a frustrating 130-122 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Tyrese Haliburton had an off night forcing Indiana coach Rick Carlisle to turn to Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin to carry the team. Carlisle expects his All-Star guard to return to elite form in the matchup versus New Orleans.
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New Orleans struggled in the first half against the injury-riddled Knicks who didn’t have four of their regular starters. A slow start could be on the cards again as they are playing the back end of two consecutive games. The Pelicans will be hoping they can keep up with Indiana which is the second-best team in pace this season in the NBA.
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New Orleans Pelicans vs Indiana Pacers: Preview, betting tips and prediction
The Pacers will host the Pelicans on Wednesday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. ESPN will air the game on national TV while Bally Sports Indiana and Bally Sports New Orleans will cover the same locally. Streaming is also available by subscribing to the NBA League Pass.
Basketball fans can listen to SiriusXM, 93.5/107.5 The Fan and WRNO 99.5 FM to catch the action.
Moneyline: Pelicans (+190) vs. Pacers (-230)
Spread: Pelicans (+6.0) vs. Pacers (-6.0)
Total (O/U): Pelicans (o239.5 -110) vs. Pacers (u239.5 -110)
Editor's note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Indiana Pacers: Game preview
The New Orleans Pelicans bucked a lethargic start to beat the New York Knicks that didn’t have Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and OG Anunoby. Starting center Mitchell Robinson and his main backup Isaiah Hartenstein weren’t around as well. If the Pelicans continue that trend against the Pacers, they are in for a frustrating night.
Zion Williamson and his teammates will need to play with more energy and hustle against a team that loves to push the pace. The back-to-back schedule may eventually become a factor down the stretch, but the Pelicans can’t afford to come out of the gates slow and lackluster.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said his team had an off night in the loss to the Toronto Raptors. Most in the lineup, particularly Tyrese Haliburton, couldn’t get themselves going. That has to change against the Pelicans as the visiting team is uber-athletic and talented. If New Orleans isn’t lackadaisical, Indiana will have a tough fight on Wednesday.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Indiana Pacers: Starting lineups
The Pelicans have missed the services of starting point guard CJ McCollum due to a foot injury over the last two games. He remains questionable leading into the matchup against the Pacers. If he is cleared, he gets his usual spot. If not, Trey Murphy III gets another appearance to start the game.
PF - Zion Williamson, SF - Brandon Ingram, C - Jonas Valanciunas and SF - Herb Jones will also open the game for New Orleans.
C - Myles Turner, PF - Pascal Siakam, SG - Bennedict Mathurin, PG - Andrew Nembhard and PG - Tyrese Haliburton are lining up to tip off for the Pacers.
Editor's note: These are predicted starting lineups, which could change depending on the availability of players uncertain to play.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Indiana Pacers: Betting tips
Zion Williamson has a 23.5 over/under points prop on Wednesday versus the Indiana Pacers. Over his last five games, the New Orleans Pelicans superstar is averaging 25.2 points on 46.7% shooting. Against Indiana’s bottom-five defense, “Zanos” could have another big night and get over his points prop.
Bennedict Mathurin gets a 16.5 over/under points prop. The two-year guard, however, has been on a tear since winning the All-Stars Rising Stars MVP. Over his last three games, he is averaging 21.0 points on 48.8% shooting, including 50.0% from deep. New Orleans’ defense rating is sixth in the NBA but Mathurin is likely soaring past his points prop with the way he has been playing.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Indiana Pacers: Prediction
The matchup between the New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers is the classic battle between defense and offense. Indiana plays with a furious pace and ranks second behind the Boston Celtics in offensive rating. Tyrese Haliburton and teammates will try to run their opponents to the ground, particularly since the Pelicans are playing back-to-back games.
New Orleans will play a deliberate half-court set and count on its massive frontline and athletic wings to overwhelm the Pacers. Even if CJ McCollum does not play, the Pelicans are deep and talented enough to cause the home team troubles.
Indiana could defend its home court and beat its road-weary opponents but allow the Pelicans to cover the +6.0 spread.
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