Thunder vs Pacers Odds, Pick, Prediction
NBA betting picks and prediction for Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers on Friday, April 5. The Oklahoma City Thunder is set to face the Indiana Pacers on Friday, April 5, on a road trip from Boston to Indiana. The Thunder, which has been struggling with a tough road trip, will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been ruled out for the game due to injury. His offensive rating while he is on the court is 123.1 while he plays, but this drops to 113.0 with him off the court, a -10.1 swing. The Pacers' defense has been poor all season, ranking 24th in adjusted defensive rating. Myles Turner, their primary rim protector and defensive player, may also be missing due to an injury. The game will be played at least 235.5, with the odds likely to drop if Turner is active.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Chris Baker in Sports
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder plays defense during the game against the Indiana Pacers. (Photo by Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images)
Here's everything you need to know about Thunder vs. Pacers on Friday, April 5 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today's game.
The Thunder will travel from Boston to Indiana to take on the Pacers on Friday night. Can Oklahoma City pick up a win without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or will it continue to struggle?
Let's dive into our Thunder vs. Pacers prediction and pick.
This has been a brutal road trip for the Thunder, who have faced the Knicks, 76ers and Celtics in consecutive games. They went 1-2 over that stretch, with the lone win coming in the game Gilgeous-Alexander played.
With a top-three seed essentially locked up, it feels like the Thunder are mostly trying to make it to the playoffs with a healthy Gilgeous-Alexander. He has already been ruled out for Friday, while Jalen Williams is listed as doubtful.
The Thunder's offensive rating while Gilgeous-Alexander is on the court is 123.1, but that drops to 113.0 with him off the court, a -10.1 swing. That being said, this Pacers defense has struggled all season long, ranking 24th in adjusted defensive rating. The Pacers may also be without their primary rim protector in Myles Turner.
With Gilgeous-Alexander out and Williams doubtful, it will be difficult to back this Thunder offense with any sort of confidence.
The Pacers have been inconsistent over the past few months, but we should expect some urgency out of them here as they are coming off a disappointing loss to the Nets. They need every win they can get considering they are currently tied with the Heat for the 6-seed and the 76ers are creeping up on them for the 7-seed.
Monitor the injury report for Turner’s status; he is their best defender and rim protector. The Pacers have a defensive rating of 117.0 with Turner on the floor versus a defensive rating of 121.3 with him off.
The good news for the Pacers is that they’ve already shown they can beat this Thunder team. OKC beat Indiana by 10 on March 12 and that was with Gilgeous-Alexander healthy. The Pacers should have the confidence to defend their home court — with or without Turner.
With Gilgeous-Alexander out, I’m surprised this line is sitting at an over/under of 235.5. These teams went under this number when they were fully healthy and I’d expect this to be a slower-paced game given how many tough games OKC has played on this road trip.
If Turner is active, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this number down around 232, so I will gladly take the Under at 235.5.
Topics: Basketball, NBA