Indiana Pacers vs. Toronto Raptors Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Charlie Grant
Indiana is hoping to spark the doubts of Raptors fans all over again with a win at Toronto on Friday night.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Pacers are coming off a huge win over the NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday and improved to 6-1 straight up and against the spread in their last seven games. Indiana seems to be locked into the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff positioning but does have an outside chance of climbing as high as third before the end of the regular season.
Indiana is 47-32 SU and 46-33 ATS on the campaign with a 31-47-1 over/under record. The Pacers are one of the best ATS and Under bets in the NBA.
The Raptors snapped their nine-game ATS losing streak by beating Boston 96-78 on Wednesday night as 7.5-point home favourites. Toronto is now three games up on the Celtics in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and stands at 56-22 SU (41-37 ATS) after 78 regular season games.
Indiana Pacers
Indiana’s future looks bright with Victor Oladipo in the picture. The second overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft had an up and down first few years in the league but has become an All-Star in his first year with the Pacers. He’s averaging 23.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a league-best 2.3 steals per game this season.
The Pacers excel in tight-game situations. They own the third best clutch time net rating (points for minus points against in the final five minutes of the game or overtime with the score within five points) at 17.2 and are 11-2 SU in games decided by three or fewer points.
Toronto Raptors
News broke on Thursday that Celtics All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will have surgery on his left knee and is out for four to five months. This is great news for Raptors fans. Boston has been playing great without Irving but few expect that to continue in the postseason.
Sports Interaction still lists the Cleveland Cavaliers as the favourites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals at +125, the Raptors are right behind at +150 and Boston is the next at +450.
