Indiana vs Oklahoma: the Pacers to Improve on Offense

Indiana and Oklahoma are outside the top 10 of their conferences, but there is a firm favorite even in their matchup. The Pacers must win at home after the return of Malcolm Brogdon. Check the teams’ conditions and expert betting tips. Several betting options are available!

Even with two leaders gone, Indiana can grow stronger. Myles Turner might finally get a more critical role on offense. Yet, he hasn’t been that efficient with Domantas Sabonis. The Lithuanian is impressive at point guard, but the Pacers now have one of the league’s most promising playmakers - Tyrese Haliburton. He is hitting 7.8 three-pointers per game in Indiana with a 45.2 percentage. Turner is still injured, but Malcolm Brogdon, who missed more than a month because of Achilles tendon problems, should be back. Ricky Rubio, T.J. Warren, and T.J. McConnell will not join, and the participation of Goga Bitadze and Chris Duarte is questionable. Before the NBA All-Star Game, Rick Carlyle’s team snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 113-108 home win over Washington. At that point, Indiana had only eight players in their rotation, with Buddy Hield and Tyreese Haliburton playing nearly 40 minutes each. Nonetheless, the Pacers had no shots from beyond the arc: only 20% of their three-pointers were successful. The lion’s share of points came from the paint, where Terry Taylor, Tristan Thompson, and Oshae Brissett proved to be excellent players. Haliburton was the most productive, hitting 6 of 17 shots. He earned 21 points and 14 assists.

The Thunder are in last place in the Western Conference and unlikely to move any higher. The team has no plans to contend for a playoff spot, so they have to work on their future and rely on the progress of the young players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was out for nearly a month because of an injury and should be back on the floor against Indiana. Luguentz Dort was sidelined before the All-Star break and missed the recent game against Phoenix. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Kenrich Williams, Mike Muscala, Ty Jerome, and KZ Okpala are also in an infirmary. The newcomer Tre Mann did well in some games, scoring 24 points against San Antonio and 30 against New York.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s return did not allow Oklahoma to put up much of a fight against Phoenix - 104:124. Mark Daigneault’s men shot from long range: only 6 of his 31 three-pointers were accurate. Shai conceded a lot from beyond the arc, but he made up for it with his passing game. The Thunder’s star had 32 points and five assists. The loss to the Suns was Oklahoma’s seventh in the last eight games.

Indiana and Oklahoma made about 20 percent of their three-pointers in their previous games. Despite that, the Pacers scored 113 points and the Thunder - 104. That said, the hosts have decent shooters, with Buddy Hield being very productive in some games. Meanwhile, the Thunder have to trust Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but even his brilliant playing does not save the team from a devastating defeat. Indiana has to win, and it’s only logical to expect a good basketball performance as well.