The Indiana Pacers (34-24) square off with the Portland Trail Blazers (26-33) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 27, 2020, and will air on TNT.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 219 points with Indiana set as a 10-point favorite at PointsBet Indiana Sportsbook.
Portland Trail Blazers at Indiana Pacers Betting Prediction
The last time the Trail Blazers played, they were defeated by the Boston Celtics, 118-106, and were unable to cover as 7-point underdogs. The game’s total points (224) were just over the O/U total of 222.5. Boston’s 12.7 turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over Portland, who had a mark of 15.2. The Celtics’ mark was worse than their season average of 11.7, while the Trail Blazers’ was above their season average of 11.0. CJ McCollum led Portland in scoring with 28 points on 10-for-24 shooting.
The Pacers dismantled the Charlotte Hornets in their last matchup, 119-80, comfortably covering as 11.5-point favorites. The game’s total points (199) were under the O/U total of 209. The Pacers, who came into the game averaging an effective field goal percentage of 0.531, had an absurd mark of 0.628, while the Hornets had a free throw rate of 0.085 (below their season average of 0.188). Domantas Sabonis was the top scorer from either team with 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field.
This will be the second game of the season between these two squads. Damian Lillard scored a game-high 50 points in the first game, in which the Trail Blazers defeated the Pacers 139-129, covering as 2-point favorites. He also had 13 assists and six rebounds. The game finished with a total of 268 points, which was 48 points above the projected point total of 220 points. The Trail Blazers had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (32.4 vs. 16.2) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.656 vs. 0.586).
Portland heads into the game with records of 26-33 straight up (SU) and 23-34-2 against the spread (ATS). Of the Trail Blazers’ 59 games, 32 have finished over the total.
Meanwhile, Indiana owns records of 34-24 SU and 30-26-2 ATS. Pacers games have a slight tendency to finish over the total (51.7 percent).
Indiana could put on a ball-control clinic in this battle. Indiana ranks fifth in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.3 percent), while Portland forces the second-fewest turnovers (11.8 percent).
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Indiana Pacers Betting Pick
Pick: ATS Winner – Trail Blazers, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
On the road, Portland is 12-17-1 ATS with 15 unders, 14 overs and 1 push.
At home, Indiana is 14-14-2 ATS with 16 overs and 14 unders.
When holding opponents under 100 points, Portland is 4-0 and Indiana is 11-2.
In games where they reach the century mark, the Pacers are 34-15 and the Trail Blazers are 26-26.
Indiana ranks fifth in assists per game (26.2) while Portland ranks last (20.1).
The Pacers rank eighth in points in the paint per game (49.0) while the Trail Blazers rank 26th (43.9).
Indiana ranks 12th in rebounds allowed per game (44.9) while Portland ranks last (47.9).
The Trail Blazers rank 13th in three pointers attempted per game (33.9) while the Pacers rank last (27.8).
Indiana ranks 13th in fast break points allowed per game (12.9) while Portland ranks 26th (15.1).
The Pacers rank 16th in points off turnovers per game (16.7) while the Trail Blazers rank 28th (13.9).
Indiana ranks 19th in second chance points allowed per game (13.4) while Portland ranks last (15.7).
The Trail Blazers rank third in blocks per game (6.3) while the Pacers rank 12th (5.1).
Indiana ranks 21st in steals per game (7.1) while Portland ranks 27th (5.9).
Over its last five games, Portland is 0-5 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Indiana is 3-2 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over over its last five games.
The Trail Blazers’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 10.0, up from 2.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pacers have scored an average of 105.8 points per game (3.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 104.4 points per game (2.9 below their season average).