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Indiana Pacers vs. Philadelphia 76ers NBA Preview & Free Pick

NBA Basketball Matchup: Pacers vs 76ers

Both the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers will be coming off Monday night games when they clash on Tuesday night in the City of Brotherly Love.  

Date/Time: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: FSIN, CSP
Spread: 76ers -3.5
Over/Under: 184.5 -110

Matchup | Preview

But that’s where the similarities end.

The Sixers are winners of just five of their last seven, while the Pacers had won four straight to start the week.

Indy (38-22) is one of the hottest teams in the league right now, and heading into Monday’s bout with slumping Minnesota, found itself third in the Eastern Conference, leading fourth-place Boston by 2 1/2 games.

And that’s without Indiana’s starting point guard, Darren Collison who has missed four consecutive games with a sore groin. But Collision did participate in warm-ups over the weekend and could be ready to play by game time on Tuesday.

But even he doesn’t make the lineup, that’s okay, as Danny Granger, the team’s leading scorer, has been getting done all by himself, including scoring 20 points and seven rebounds in a 111-94 win over the Sixers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse back on March 14.

The Pacers small forward has scored at least 18 points in 11 consecutive games. Granger is also shooting 51.2 percent, so it’s no surprise Indiana is 9-2 in its hot streak. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Meanwhile, the Sixers (31-28) will continue to have an opportunity to gain ground on the New York Knicks for seventh place in the Eastern Conference, kicking off a back-to-back-to-back games in Orlando on Monday, then to Philly and Cleveland, while playing six of its final seven games on the road.

With Milwaukee looming 2.5 games back, the 76ers cannot afford a performance similar to Friday’s home loss against injury-riddled New Jersey.

Jrue Holiday scored 19 points and Evan Turner added 18 for the Sixers, but again, guard Jodie Meeks had his third straight sub-par effort since being moved back into the starting lineup. He had three points on 0-for-5 shooting and has scored 15 points over the last three games.

If the Sixers are going win this one they will need more consistency from guard Lou Williams, the team leader with 15.0 points per game, who has combined for 18 in his last two games heading into Monday’s contest with the Magic.

Free Pick: Philadelphia- Even though Philly lost by 17 to Indiana last time, and even though the Pacers were also 8-2 in their last 10 games to start the week. For some reason, I believe the Sixers reach down deep in front of the home crowd and pull this one out.

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Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"