Home court advantage has been just that in the season series between the Pacers and Hawks. Indiana won and covered the first two at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, and Atlanta got the cover win at home last time out. The fourth and final meeting of season takes place in the ATL.
You can bet on NBA odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
SCHEDULING
After their most impressive victory of the season, a 99-91 home win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Pacers had plenty of time to reflect on it. In a rare scheduling occurrence, the Pacers had four full days off before their next contest, the first of a back-to-back Saturday afternoon with Dallas. Indiana flies to Atlanta for Sunday’s tilt. Prior to their 100-99 win over the Wizards last Saturday, the Pacers had been 0-7 SU and 1-6 ATS on the road in the second leg of a back-to-back set. On Sunday they’ll have a chance to make it two in a row in that situation.
Following their five-game road trip the Hawks return to the ATL and get a quick two games on their own court before hitting the road again. In another scheduling oddity, the Hawks will play back-to-back home games with a tilt against Memphis preceding Sunday’s showdown with the Pacers. Playing on consecutive nights is nothing new for the Hawks, who are 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS in the second game of their 16 back-to-back sets. The Hawks have been a good bet on the total in their last five back-to-backs, cashing the over each time in the second game.
INJURIES
Newly acquired Ty Lawson had quite the debut with the Pacers on Monday night. The guard played just five minutes before exiting with a foot injury, totaling two assists and a rebound. He is expected to be available for the weekend back-to-back. Forward C.J. Miles, who averages 12 points off the bench, is sidelined with a calf strain and unlikely to play this weekend.
The Hawks are a relatively healthy squad at this point in the season. Backup center Tiago Splitter elected to undergo surgery on his bothersome hip and is out for the season. He hadn’t played since the end of January.
KEY MATCHUP
Paul George has elevated to new highs in his first year with the reconstructed leg. Still, he’s found himself fading from the big moments, missing long jumpers, pull-up jumpers and step-back fade away jumpers. The redemption for George happened on the second night of a back-to-back when he scorched the Wizards for 38 points. As he has all season, George took the challenge of playing well with no rest. Over the Pacers past seven games on the second night of a back-to-back, George has averaged 30 points. In his last effort, George was “spectacular,” as coach Frank Vogel described him, playing 39 minutes and making 13 of 22 shots, including 4 of 7 from three-point range. George will likely draw Paul Millsap as a defender, which will be challenging, but the Pacers need to ride their horse if they want to be a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Hawks used a nice run on the Western portion of their road trip to get back in position for a top-four seed in the East. Atlanta is also putting the pressure on Miami for the top spot in the Southwest, a position that carries a top-half seeding. Those wins featured strong efforts by point guard Jeff Teague, who was a reason why the Hawks haven’t resembled the 60-win club from last season. Atlanta turned things around following a three-game losing streak out of the All-Star break. The Hawks won five of the next six basketball games straight up and went 6-0 ATS. The only loss in that stretch came in overtime at Golden State. The Pacers pulled Lawson off Houston’s scrap heap, and the one-time stud in Denver still has plenty to give. Sometimes a change of scenery is all one needs to jumpstart a career, and Lawson is a perfect candidate. He fits in well with Indiana’s concept and will provide much-needed depth off the bench. While his addition should make the Pacers a stronger team, the Hawks are playing at another level.
Atlanta 103, Indiana 99
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks square off on Sunday, March 13, 2016, at 6 p.m. ET at Philips Arena. You can watch the game live on NBA TV.
