The Indiana Pacers may have lost to the New York Knicks recently, but their hope to be victorious as a team is not diminished.

The Pacers are hoping to get back in the ‘win column’ when they take on the Pelicans in New Orleans.

They started the season as the dominating team with an impressive 3-0 to their name. The Pacers worked hard to outscore their opponents by a combined 76 points on interior in those three first contests.

They then tied with the Boston Celtics and only just managed a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pacers edged the Cavaliers by two points in the paint with their next two games. It was the Knicks who owned the paint when outscoring Indiana on their way to an admired 106-102 win.

Adjustment Effect

It is believed that one factor in the Indiana Pacers’ drop-off is that they are still getting used to playing without T.J. Warren. He was their lead scorer but will not be active after surgery as a result of a stress fracture in his foot.

The team is surely and sorely feeling the absence of this star player despite still having good offensive power.

Malcolm Brogdon called Warren the best ‘pure scorer’ of the team and losing him is a big deal.

The New Orleans Pelicans, on the other hand, may be feeling a lot more confident. The team was off to a great start to the season with two victories against Toronto.

The Indiana Pacers Spread

With all that taken into consideration, CBS reports the Indiana Pacers spread is as follows:

Pelicans vs. Pacers – 1.5

Pacers vs. Pelicans Money Line – New Orleans – 120, Indiana +100

Pelicans vs. Pacers over-under – 217 points

What You Should Know

The Pelicans defeated the Toronto Raptors 120-116. Their star Brandon Ingram had 31 points. This is in addition to Eric Bledsoe’s double-double on 19 points and ten impressive assists along with five boards.

They set a franchise record with 47 free throw attempts in regulation. The team managed to connect 36 of them. They out-rebounded their opponents 51-31.

In the end, New Orleans scored 10 of the game’s final 15 points.

The New Orleans team managed to hold opponents under 100 points in the first five games of the season. This is the first time in six seasons they could do so.

In the last two games, the team could hold opponents to only 18 total points in the final 12 minutes of the game.

Both the Pelicans and the Pacers are 4-2. Indiana is 1-0 on the road and New Orleans 2-0 at home.

When the two teams faced each other last season, the Pelicans won both games. This means they have a psychological advantage and will come in with higher morale.

Who Are The Favorites?

New Orleans is seen as the favorites by 1.5 points in the Pacers vs. Pelicans odds. The over-under is set at 217.

Last Showdown

The last time these two teams met on the court, New Orleans was able to give Indiana a 124-117 beating. It was the losing team’s fifth loss in a row.

Jerry Lamb was able to go 19-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range for Indiana.

TJ Warren managed to add 22 points and Malcolm Brogdon earned 17 points for his team along with eight rebounds and six assists.

For New Orleans, JJ Redick had 23 points off the bench. Derrick Favors could add 11 rebounds and 15 points.

Injuries

There are several issues regarding the health of both team’s players. For the Pacers, Brian Bowen II is out due to a partial groin tear and Jerry Lamb can’t play thanks to left knee rehabilitation. T.J. Warren is also out because of his foot fracture and Goga Bitadze suffered a right ankle sprain and cannot play.

The Pelicans have to do without Sindarius Thornwell due to health and safety protocols and Wenyen Gabriel whose health is questionable with quadriceps tendinosis.

Now that you have all this information at your disposal, making an informed decision about what fantasy team to place a wage on  is much easier.   

Although there are many ways to go about betting on your chosen team, using a sports betting app (ATS) is convenient and easy.

And if you’re not putting some ‘duckets’ on your favorite team, but playing for fun, still take advantage of this overlooked 2020-21 season prospect.