by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Mar 08, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Where to watch: BSIN, ATTSN-SW
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Pacers -9.5
FanDuel: Pacers -9.5
BetMGM: Pacers -9.5
Caesars: Pacers -9.5
Season record
Rockets: 15-50
Pacers: 29-37
The All-Star break is over in the NBA and it's time to get on the horse and finish up the final home stretch of the season. Big trades, uncertainty, and absolute hilarity across the board all gearing up for the final home stretch of this season. You know who is also gearing up for the home stretch? Our champion handicappers at bigal.com who are ready to win their way all the way to the playoffs. There's a lot going on that we can't wait for in these final 23-25 games and you're going to need every bit of hardcore analysis you can get from this group. Just in the last 30 days we've had some big winners. Doc's Sports has posted a 16-6-0 record in the last month (+$9,200). AAA Sports has killed it at 17-8-0, and then Al McMordie with a dominant 20-11-1 mark over the last 30 days. Everything you need to know and more about what's going on this league and sports in general will be a fun finish to the end. All you have to do is go to bigal.com and find our Best Bets page and put forth something that only you think is good. Here's a hint: Go to the bigal.com website and happy betting!
Rockets - Pacers preview, prediction and analysis
I feel it is our civic duty as a society to understand that in the world of sports whenever there are two bad teams facing off against each other, relegation needs to be taken into account. Now I'm not saying that the loser of this game between the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers should be relegated to the G league, but I'm not saying that it shouldn't either. And I think we're going to eventually get a time where teams will be on an equal level playing field if they are relegated to the G league and must be forced to win the G league championship before coming back and playing in the NBA.
At least that's my thought with the likes of the Rockets and potentially the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons. But I'm not here to rain on anyone's parade I'm not here to say that the Rockets are absolute garbage and that they shouldn't be where they are, because they are a fully young team with a lot of talent and promise across the board but either don't have the coaching to back it up, or they do not have the wherewithal to understand where they are in the pecking order and they should not be better than what many people would expect them to be.
I look at the Rockets and I love the look of the lineup. You have Jalen Green looking like a star in the making, you have Alperen Sengun looking like the next incarnation of Arvydys Sabonis, and you have the likes of jabari Smith and others who are part of this long-term core that Houston is putting together. Now what happens going forward is another situation in its entirety, but I think we will cross that bridge when we get there.
In the meantime though, Houston will continue to lose games over these final 17 games. And coming off A118-96 loss to the Brooklyn Nets is not really a huge shock, but it is noteworthy enough to know that Houston is preparing to ride this tank all the way to the end in the hopes that they get Victor Wembanyama.
the Pacers are not in that conversation but because the Pacers have a young core that they are starting to build around and they are realizing that it takes longer than 50 games for things to come together. Tyrese Haliburton Is the Lone Star in this group and he continues to average a double double this year and be one of their better scorers. Indiana doesn't really have the luxury to go forth with anyone else, because you have Haliburton going off for 40 points and 16 assists in a 147-143 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
Indiana is just so fun to watch and if they could add another piece or two to go with the likes of Halliburton, they will be a dangerous force for years to come. How much longer that is remains to be seen but it's something that I will at least be looking forward to watching.
Prediction
Not a lot of times while I look at a game and say that the underdog does not have the chance to win, but I do think that there will come a time where Houston thinks they have a chance to outscore Indiana because of the lack of defense, and I am of that mindset. Indiana I think will ultimately win, but I would not be shocked to see Houston find a way to cover. Pacers 133, Rockets 129
Projected starting lineup
Rockets:
PG: TyTy Washington Jr.
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Kenyon Martin Jr.
PF: Jabari Smith Jr.
C: Alperen Sengun
Pacers:
PG: Tyrese Haliburton
SG: Andrew Nembhard
SF: Buddy Hield
PF: Aaron Nesmith
C: Myles Turner
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this preview, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
