Two playoff hopefuls collide Friday evening when the Indiana Pacers (39-31) face off against the Golden State Warriors (36-32) in the Bay Area. Both teams are coming off a win in their last game. This is the second meeting between these teams this season, with Golden State winning the previous game 131-109 despite missing Klay Thompson.
Bennedict Mathurin is done for the season for Indiana. Obi Toppin is questionable with an ankle injury. Draymond Green is probable for Golden State as he deals with back issues, while Moses Moody is questionable with a knee injury.
The Warriors are 5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total sitting at 240. Golden State is -192 on the moneyline while Indiana is +160.
Pacers vs. Warriors, 10 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Pacers +5
Indiana is 18-14-1 ATS as the road team this season, and 11-9-1 ATS as a road underdog. The Pacers have thrived in the underdog role with a 20-13-2 ATS mark. The Warriors have been .500 at home, which is unheard of for this team. Golden State is 15-20-1 ATS as the home team and 11-18 ATS as a home favorite.
Golden State remains inconsistent at home and can’t be trusted. Even though the Warriors smoked the Pacers in the last game, I’ll take Indiana to at least cover in what should be a much closer contest.
Over/Under: Over 240
The last game reached exactly this number but was a blowout in Golden State’s favor. I expect a much closer contest this time around. The Pacers are actually trending slightly to the under on the season with a 34-35-2 record on overs, while the Warriors are 35-33 to the over. Golden State is 22-14 to the over as the home side despite improvements defensively, while Indiana is 13-18-2 to the over as the road team. Given how up and down the Warriors are at home, I think this will be a high-scoring affair where the over hits.