New Orleans Pelicans at Indiana Pacers Pick

The New Orleans Pelicans (26-33) will hit the road to take on the Indiana Pacers (38-20) at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana for a cross-conference clash. The tip is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET and set to be televised on FSN. The series has been well-balanced as each team has won two of the last four meetings between both parties. Most recently, Indiana defeated NOLA on the road in the Big Easy on February 4th by a score of 109-107. Though New Orleans lost, they were able to generate their sixth consecutive cover against the Pacers as a 3.5-point underdog.

New Orleans Pelicans at Indiana Pacers Overview

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans step into this contest of the heels of an impressive 131-122 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Valentine’s Day. The Pelicans were authors of an upset as they closed as a 4.5-point home underdog hosting OKC.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were last on the court on February 13th against the Milwaukee Bucks where they hosted the Deer in Indianapolis. Indiana saw a six-game winning streak, and four-game cover streak brought to an end by Milwaukee when they were defeated 106-97, failing to cover as a 4.5-point underdog.

Reasons To Avoid New Orleans

It has been well documented all season long that the Pelicans struggle mightily on the road. On the season, New Orleans sits 9-22 SU in games away from home. The Pelicans won’t find refuge in Indianapolis as the Pacers are 22-8 SU on their own floor.

Reasons To Back Indiana

Defense is a huge advantage that will play into the Pacers favor in this contest. Indiana remains the best defensive team in the NBA giving up a salty 102.7 points per game. Contrarily, the Pelicans own the 27th- ranked scoring defense giving up 114.8 points per game. Overall, this produces a 12.1-point swing in favor of the Pacers.

Moreover, Indiana also owns advantages in the turnover department as well as bench play. Indiana’s bench produces 39.6 points per game compared to New Orleans’ 31.1 bench points per contest. Once again, this is a substantial edge for Indiana as this is an 8.7-point differential. The combination of these ingredients along with the obvious home court advantage working against New Orleans sets up Indiana to throttle the Pelicans.