Last Meeting: The Pacers defeated the Lakers 79-77 in Los Angeles on 11/27/12
Line: Pacers -9.5, Total: 190
The Lakers’ last game on Wednesday ended with two losses, a 96-92 defeat to the Hawks and the loss of Kobe Bryant to a sprained left ankle, possibly for the duration of the year. Bryant is listed as being out indefinitely, meaning he will not be playing in Indiana against the Pacers on Friday at 7:00 ET. Prior to Wednesday, the Lake Show had won 6 of their last 7 games and pushed their record to over .500 on the season. Meanwhile, the Pacers have established themselves as a force in the Eastern Conference. While no team in the league can seemingly touch the Miami Heat, the Pacers appear to be the frontrunners to give them a challenge in the postseason.
Currently, the Pacers are sitting in the 2nd spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and are one game up on the Knicks. While not impossible, it seems unlikely that Indiana will be able to overtake Miami for the top spot as they are 9 ½ game behind with 18 games remaining. The Lakers have fought their way to the 8th seed in the West, but will have to keep up their winning ways if they want a chance to upset the Spurs or Thunder in the first round. Los Angeles is only a half-game ahead of Utah for the final spot in the postseason.
Indiana is 40-24 straight up and 36-28 against the spread on the season. At home, the Pacers are 26-7 SU and 20-13 ATS. Against the total, Indiana is 35-29 Under and are averaging 94.2 PPG.
Los Angeles has a record of 34-32 SU and 27-39 ATS. While playing on the road, the Lakers are 12-21 both SU and ATS. Against the total, Los Angeles is 34-31 Over on the year and are putting up 102.4 PPG.
Kobe wasn’t the only Laker who sprained an ankle against the Hawks on Wednesday. Earl Clark is listed as day-to-day, but is expected to play on Friday in Indiana. Clark is averaging 7.9 PPG and 6 RPG on the season.
What to watch for
This game features two of the top five rebounding teams in the league, with the Pacers averaging a league high 45.6 RPG and the Lakers grabbing 44.6 RPG, good for 4th in the league. Look for both teams to play aggressive near the hoop and battle for each bound.
Pacers forward Paul George has emerged as one of the best young players in the game. In only his third season in the league, George is putting up 17.6 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 4 APG. Look for George to score at will and dominate this game with a double-double.
Over the past four games, Steve Nash has upped his scoring and is averaging 15 PPG. The Lakers will certainly need some added offense with the Black Mamba out of service. Nash is scoring 12.4 PPG and 6.7 APG on the year.
The pick
Even though the Lakers have played much better in the second half of the season, I don’t like their chances on the road without Kobe Bryant. Not many teams come away with a victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and I don’t believe a banged up Lakers squad can pull out a win in Indiana. With the Pacers playing at such a high level, this game could get out of control early if the Lake Show can’t get motivated without #24 on the floor. Look for this to be a physical game down low, the total to go Under and for the Pacers to cover, 96-83.
Source: ESPN
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