Many people expected the Indiana Pacers to be among the worst teams in the Eastern Conference this season. What few people realized is that the Brooklyn Nets might join them in the basement.

The Pacers are 2-4 following a strong win against the Washington Wizards. The Brooklyn Nets have one of the worst defenses in the league and have lost all but one of their five games.

Pacers vs. Nets NBA Betting Odds

Indiana is currently 2-7 ATS in their last nine games when coming off of a straight up win. They are also 1-4 ATS in their past five games overall and hold the same record in their last five against teams with a winning percentage below .400 on the year. 

The Nets are 9-26 ATS in their past 35 games when going up against teams with a winning percentage lower than .400 on the year. They have consistently struggled to cover spreads versus bad teams. They’re also just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 when getting just one day of 

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are admittedly in a development year but so far, they have to be pleased with what they are seeing. Tyrese Haliburton is one of the most closely watched young players on the roster and he’s developing nicely. He’s averaging 22.6 points, 10.0 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game, rising his play to another level following his trade from the Sacramento Kings. He’s also gotten tremendous scoring help out of the rookie Bennedict Mathurin as he pours in an additional 20.8 points per contest.

The problem with Indiana has been that their defense isn’t the greatest. In fact, it’s ranked dead-last by averaging 122.0 points per game to their opponents. They can keep up with teams surprisingly well despite this but at some point, the defense has to improve somewhere. 

Brooklyn Nets

The dynamic duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have been providing everything that Brooklyn has expected out of them. Irving averages 29.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists while Durant averages 33.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists a night. These two have been the sole bright spots on a roster that doesn’t have many.

And then there’s Ben Simmons. Long expected to be a possibly third star on the roster, he’s looking scared and anxious. He’s averaging just 5.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game on horrendous 44.4 percent shooting from the floor. Without him playing at an All-Star level, the depth is being forced into the spotlight and there just isn’t enough of it. 

Simmons was also brought in for his defensive prowess but it’s really not there. The Nets defense is third-worst in the league. Until Simmons steps up, this team is going to struggle. Maybe they get a win in this spot as the Pacers have one of the worst defenses in the league, though.

NBA Prediction: Who Will Win Pacers vs. Nets?

PACERS

Away

129

NETS

Home

133

Score
Predictions

Matchup