This would have been a good game if not for the injury bug. It has bitten Portland hard over the last week, as nearly half the available roster is either out or questionable tonight. This has been devastating to a young team just starting to get going. They just beat Houston last Friday in a statement win over one of the best teams in the West. However, this defense will be picked apart without their impressive interior defenders, Rob Will and Donovan Clingan.
With such a hit to the active roster, we’ll have to see some players step up big-time to have a chance on this. Shaedon Sharpe is the most likely hero in this story. He’s been playing well during the season, averaging 18 points per game on okay shooting splits. He’s struggled to find consistency with the three-ball. Alternatively, we could see a significant turnaround game for Anfernee Simons after a slow start returning from injury. Either way, Portland will need one of their lead guards to go insane to have a chance against a much healthier Pacers team.
The only hope we have for Portland is that they have been scrappy. Toumani Camara has been one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the league so far. He has been pivotal in Portland’s aggressive defense and will make life hard on Tyrese Haliburton. In this one, Portland’s only real chance is to get the Pacers into a rock fight and win the physical battle. However, potentially relying on Duop Reath as their only healthy big might be too much to ask.
We think Portland will struggle tonight, and Indiana will take the game easily.
Indiana has been surprisingly disappointing to start the season. They have an 8-10 record in a weak Eastern Conference. Some of these struggles could be due to the slow start Haliburton has gotten off to, but this team has missed his scoring presence. However, things seem to be changing for Haliburton, as he’s helped lead the Pacers to back-to-back wins, scoring 21 and 34.
Ultimately, it’s been a defense that has been a weak spot for Indiana. They’re in the bottom third of the league in terms of defensive efficiency. The absence of Andrew Nembhard has been a sore spot defensively. Unsurprisingly, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner have still allowed this much scoring. They keep getting into shootouts with teams, and with Haliburton struggling, they’ve dropped multiple games to lesser teams. We expect the ship to right itself eventually, but Indiana might need to make a move to reinforce their frontcourt.
They still have a strong chance of winning this one. Portland will be a shell of itself tonight. The frontcourt might be able to feast, as Portland may be running out of their fourth-string center, Doup Reath. We expect Pascal and Turner to have big games tonight.
Scoot Henderson Out
Jerami Grant Doubtful
Robert Williams III Out
Donovan Clingan Out
Matisse Thybulle Out
Kris Murray Questionable
Deandre Ayton Questionable
Andrew Nembhard Out
Johnny Furphy Questionable
Spread: POR +10.5 (-110) / IND -10.5 (-110)
Total Points: 232
Moneyline: POR (+400) / IND (-535)
Tyrese Haliburton Under 19.5 Points (-110)
Myles Turner 25+ Combined Points + Rebounds (-130)
Anfernee Simons 5+ Assists (+110)
Pascal Siakam 25+ Points (+185)