The Indiana Pacers will make the trip over to Oakland on Monday for a late night visit with the Golden State Warriors. Indiana enters with a comfortable lead in the Eastern Conference after winning seven of their last eight games, while Golden State has hit a bit of a rough patch with losses in three of their last five games. [ad-4468020]
Indiana Pacers (32-7) at Golden State Warriors (26-16)
Date: Monday, January 20, 2014
Time: 10:30 PM ET
Venue: Oracle Arena
City: Oakland, California
O/U Odds: 197.5
Spread: Indiana -1
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The Pacers have made a real statement thus far this season, proving that they belong right up there with the Heat in the conversation of the NBA’s elite team, picking up 20 of their 32 wins by double digits. The team won each of the four games in its recent homestand, doing so by an average margin of 23.3 points. The most recent of which came on Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Pacers won that game by a score of 106-92 behind a terrific effort by forward Paul George, who scored 36 points on 12 of 17 shooting, connecting on 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc, adding six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Guard Lance Stephenson led all players with 41 minutes and made the most of it, scoring 22 points on 8 of 17 shooting, adding 12 rebounds, seven assists, and a steal.
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The improved play of Stephenson has been a big reason for the Pacers’ giant leap forward this season. Stephenson is averaging 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists this season, and hitting on his shots from the floor at a .501 clip.
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This game begins a five-game road trip for Indiana, while Golden State begins a five-game homestand with this one. The team was victorious in their last outing, a 97-87 victory in New Orleans.
Guard Stephen Curry led the way for the Warriors with 28 points in the game on 10 of 22 shooting, chipping in eight assists, six rebounds, and four steals. David Lee scored 22 points and racked up eight board while Andrew Bogut had the team’s only double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
The Warriors have been solid on their home court all season, but the Pacers have been the hotter team of late and appear to be on a mission. George is averaging 30.7 points per game over the last three games and is earning plenty of MVP chatter as he leads this dominant Pacers squad. Those points have helped the Pacers to average 113.0 per game over their last three contests, and that combined with their league-low 88.2 points per game allowed makes them one of the toughest opponents around.
The Pacers are 18-6 ATS in the last 24 meetings between these teams, and 4-0 ATS in their last four games versus Western Conference opponents.
The play: Indiana -1
