Indiana visits Brooklyn in Big Eastern Conference Clash
The NBA regular season is heading down the home stretch and playoff spots are on the line. In the Eastern Conference, five teams are within three games of one another battling for the final two playoff spots.
On Tuesday, two of those teams the Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets play in the Big Apple in a very important matchup.
Both the Pacers and Nets are right in the thick of things in the East and the conference series between the two will be determined tonight, which could affect playoff positioning in two weeks.
Indiana on the season is 32-41 while Brooklyn is 32-40. The two teams are battling with Charlotte, Boston and Miami for the last two spots in the East. Therefore, capturing and tiebreakers head to head could prove very important.
Indiana has lost six straight before winning two of their next three including a win over Dallas 104-99 on Sunday. The Pacers players know how important their final 9 games are especially if they want to reach the postseason.
The Nets have won three straight and 7 of their past 9 overall after beating the Los Angeles Lakers by 8 points on Sunday. Center Brook Lopez played another strong game with 30 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.
Lopez said the team could not worry about the situation their opponents were in since they have to win each night regardless of who they play.
Similar to just a season ago, Brooklyn is looking for a strong finish following a slow start.
Deron Williams said for whatever reason it has become a trend. While he wished it were different, all he wants is a chance at the playoffs.
On March 21, the Nets snapped a losing streak of five games against Indiana with a road win of 123-111. Lopez led Brooklyn with 26 points.
Indiana won the first meeting of the two teams on December 27 by a score of 110-85.
Paul George the All-Star for Indiana is still waiting for a medical clearance before he makes his debut for the season.
Thaddeus Young is questionable for Brooklyn after missing the past two games with an injured knee.
Trends
Indiana is 3-7 against the number in its past 10 games overall. The Pacers are 1-4 against the spread in their past five games versus an opponent with a record under .500.
Head to head Indiana is 9-2 ATS over its past 11 games versus the Nets played in Brooklyn. The OVER has cashed in each of the past 4 games played between the two teams.
Prediction: The trends say Pacers cover, but Brooklyn has played extremely well of late and I like the Nets in this, with the OVER cashing.
