Pacers vs. Raptors NBA expert prediction and odds for Tuesday, April 9 (Fade Raptors as home dogs)
By Peter Dewey
The Indiana Pacers have a ton to play for in the last week of the NBA regular season, as they are holding on to the No. 6 spot – and final non-play-in tournament spot – in the Eastern Conference.
Indiana has a favorable matchup on Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors, who are struggling in the second half of the season due to some major injury issues.
Can the Pacers, who are sizable road favorites, pull off a win to hold off Philadelphia in the standings?
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Here’s a look at the latest odds and my best bet for this matchup on Tuesday night:
Pacers vs. Raptors odds, spread and total
Pacers vs. Raptors how to watch
- Date: Tuesday, April 9
- Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Scotiabank Arena
- How to watch (TV): Bally Sports Indiana, Sportsnet CA
- Pacers record: 45-34
- Raptors record: 25-53
Pacers vs. Raptors injury reports
Pacers injury report
- Quenton Jackson – questionable
- Bennedict Mathurin – out
- Oscar Tshiebwe – questionable
- Isaiah Wong – questionable
Raptors injury report
- Scottie Barnes – out
- Immanuel Quickley – out
- Jakob Poeltl – out
- Chris Boucher – out
- DJ Carton – out
- Gradey Dick – questionable
- Jontay Porter – out
- Gary Trent Jr. – available
Pacers vs. Raptors key players to watch
Indiana Pacers
Pascal Siakam: Pascal Siakam gets to face his former team with a chance to help Indiana secure a playoff spot this season. The two-time All-Star is averaging 21.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game this season. He put up 27 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in his last meeting against Toronto.
Toronto Raptors
RJ Barrett: Barrett has played in three games since the tragic passing of his younger brother, and he’s scored the ball at a high rate, putting up 28, 26, and 22 points in those three matchups. He’s likely the No. 1 scoring option for Toronto with Barnes on the shelf.
Pacers vs. Raptors prediction and pick
One of the best trends in the NBA this season has come when the Raptors are set as home underdogs, as they are just 5-17 against the spread in that spot.
While the Pacers have not been elite as road favorites (6-7 ATS), this is too good to pass up with Toronto eliminated from playoff contention.
The Raptors snapped their long losing streak with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks – and followed that up with a win over Washington – but the team is still shorthanded at this point in the season with Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl injured.
Indiana is just a game up on the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 6 seed, and this is a near must-win against an inferior opponent with only a few games to play.
The Pacers have been an elite offense all season, and I think they will handle a Toronto team that is 28th in the NBA in offensive rating over its last 10 games.
Pick: Pacers -11.5 (-110)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.