Hawks vs. Pacers prediction and odds for Tuesday, December 27 (Expect fast-paced game)
By Peter Dewey
The Indiana Pacers suffered a bad loss on Monday night to the New Orleans Pelicans, but they have to bounce back quickly at home against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
The Hawks and Pacers are separated by just half a game for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, so this game could bump Indiana ahead of Atlanta with a win.
Clint Capela (out) and De’Andre Hunter (questionable) are both on the injury report for the Hawks, while the Pacers should have their rotation players good to go for this game.
Tyrese Haliburton and Trae Young will battle things out in a duel of All-Star caliber guards, but do the Pacers have a bounce-back performance in them?
Here’s a look at the latest odds and a pick for this game:
Hawks vs. Pacers odds, spread and total
Hawks vs. Pacers prediction and pick
The Hawks have struggled on the road this season, going just 6-10 straight up, but I don’t trust the Pacers as much after Monday night’s loss.
So, we’re going to look to the total, and some interesting betting trends, in this matchup.
First off, both of these teams play a fast-paced brand of basketball, ranking sixth (Indiana) and seventh (Atlanta) in pace this season. While neither offense is in the top-10 in offensive rating, we can expect a boatload of possessions on both sides in this game.
Then, we have some trends that sway me towards the OVER in this matchup.
Atlanta has been a road favorite five times this season, hitting the OVER in each of those games. The team hasn’t been great against the spread, but it does score a lot on the road.
As for Indiana, the Pacers have hit the over in four of their six matchups this season that were the second leg of a back-to-back. They find themselves back in that spot tonight.
238.5 is a lot of points, but with an uptempo pace and a lot of star guard talent, I like this game to be a high-scoring affair on Tuesday.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
—
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.