Pacers could be sneaky upset pick against Pelicans on Monday

The New Orleans Pelicans are just a game out of the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference heading into Monday’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton.

Haliburton has been red hot for Indiana, dropping 43 points in his last game to upset the Miami Heat.

He’s going to be a tough cover for the Pelicans, who are once again down Brandon Ingram (toe) in this matchup. The Pelicans may also be without Zion Williamson (doubtful) in this game, which has led to a short spread.

The Pacers are 8-6 against the spread this season as road dogs, and they are a dangerous team to deal with when Haliburton is scoring at a high level. A win would jump the Pacers into the No. 7 spot in the West.

They’ve played above expectations so far this season, but can they knock off this banged up Pels squad? Here are the odds and my best bet for this game:

Pacers vs. Pelicans odds, spread and total

Pacers vs. Pelicans prediction and pick

If both Ingram and Williamson are out for this game, we’re getting some serious value on the Pacers as short underdogs.

The Pelicans narrowly defeated the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder without their star duo, and those teams have been much worse than Indiana this season.

The Pacers enter this game 16th in offensive rating and 18th in defensive rating while both of those teams are bottom seven offenses in the NBA this season.

I think Indiana could be in line for an upset in this game, especially since the Pelicans have a bunch of role players (Larry Nance Jr, Trey Murphy, Dyson Daniels) in question for this game.

If Haliburton can stay on this tear, the Pacers have the offensive firepower to at least keep this game close.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.