The Houston Rockets (15-50) and Indiana Pacers (29-37) face off Thursday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Rockets vs. Pacers odds, and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
The Pacers have been better since the All-Star break. They aren’t winning a lot of games, but they are keeping them close. Monday’s loss to the 76ers was one of them, losing 147-143, but covering as a 6.5-point home underdog.
The Rockets are playing for next season, and maybe the season after. They lost as 6.5-point home underdogs to the Brooklyn Nets 118-96 on Tuesday. Houston had 19 turnovers and shot 27% from 3.
Indiana won 99-91 in Houston on Nov. 18 as 5.5-point road favorites while the Under 236.5 hit.
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Rockets at Pacers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 11:31 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rockets +360 (bet $100 to win $360) | Pacers -450 (bet $450 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Rockets +9.5 (-115) | Pacers -9.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 236.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Rockets at Pacers key injuries
Rockets
- G Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh) out
Pacers
- F Kendall Brown (tibia) out
- G Aaron Nesmith (hip) questionable
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Rockets at Pacers picks and predictions
Prediction
Pacers 116, Rockets 105
Moneyline
Houston ranks last in opponent 3s attempted and made, while Indiana is surprisingly high in those categories (6th and 5th respectively).
The Rockets do have a rebounding edge with 13.2 offensive rebounds a game, best in the league, but that won’t be enough to put them over the edge.
With Indiana’s record, there actually is a lon of value in picking Houston straight up if you have a gut feeling on the Rockets. I do not so I will PASS.
Against the spread
The Pacers have covered in 6 of their last 7 games and are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games with 2 days rest. G Tyrese Haliburton is expected to play and he is the center of their offense.
The Rockets have failed to cover in their last 4 games with 1 day of rest.
BET PACERS -9.5 (-105).
Over/Under
Trends are messy in the totals market. For Indiana, the Under has hit in 4 straight games against sub .400% teams, but in their last 7 games the Over has hit in 5 of them.
For Houston their last 5 games against teams below .500% have gone Over in 4 of them, while vs. teams with a winning home record the Under is 3-1-1.
That being said, these teams have poor defenses. Both are bottom 10 in their opponent’s shooting percentage, fast break points allowed, and several other scoring categories.
LEAN OVER 236.5 (-110).
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