Teams looking to make history as the first NBA In-Season Tournament champions meet on Saturday in Las Vegas when the Indiana Pacers face the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pacers (12-8, 6-0 Tournament) have been red hot of late, winning three straight games overall, including a 122-112 win over the Boston Celtics in the quarterfinals and a 128-119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Thursday's semifinals. The Lakers (14-9, 6-0 Tournament) have also rattled off three consecutive wins overall, including tournament play. Los Angeles defeated the Phoenix Suns 106-103 in the quarterfinals, before rolling over the New Orleans Pelicans 133-89 in the semifinals.
The game from T-Mobile Arena will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET. Indiana is averaging 128.4 points per game, while Los Angeles averages 113.1. The Lakers are 4-point favorites in the latest Pacers vs. Lakers odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is set at 243. Before making any Lakers vs. Pacers picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's Matt Severance.
Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, Matt quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. Over the past two NBA seasons, he has returned $3,215 for $100 bettors, and he enters this matchup on a sizzling 20-3 roll on all NBA picks (+965). Anybody following him has seen huge returns.
Now, Severance has set his sights on Pacers vs. Lakers and just locked in his picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Lakers vs. Pacers:
- Pacers vs. Lakers spread: Lakers -4
- Pacers vs. Lakers over/under: 243 points
- Pacers vs. Lakers money line: Pacers +152, Lakers -181
- IND: The Pacers have hit the team total over in 32 of their last 43 games (+19.15 units
- LAL: The Lakers have hit the money line in 53 of their last 89 games (+20.65 units)
- Pacers vs. Lakers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Lakers can cover
Forward LeBron James has been tremendous during the tournament. In the semifinal win over New Orleans, James scored 30 points, grabbed five rebounds and added eight assists in just 23 minutes. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and first player in NBA history to eclipse 39,000 career points. The 19-time NBA All-Star and four-time NBA MVP has logged the most combined regular season and playoff minutes of any player in league history. In 33.3 minutes, he is averaging 25 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game.
Center Anthony Davis is also a big reason Los Angeles has reached the in-season title game, scoring 16 points and adding 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks in 31 minutes against New Orleans on Thursday. He is a four-time All-NBA first-team selection and an eight-time NBA All-Star. For the season, he is tied for first in the league with 2.8 blocks per game. He is also averaging 22.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists. See which team to pick here.
Why the Pacers can cover
Indiana took out two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights in back-to-back tournament games with wins over the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks this past week, outscoring them by a combined 250-231. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton has been dominant, posting a triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the quarterfinal win over the Celtics. The fifth-year veteran who is just 23 years old scored 27 points and dished out 15 assists in the semifinals against the Bucks. In 18 games this season, he is averaging 26.9 points, 12.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds.
Center Myles Turner has also been a big part of the Pacers' success. He has registered three consecutive double-doubles, including a 26-point and 10-rebound effort against Milwaukee on Thursday. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's win over Boston. For the year, he has played in and started 20 games, averaging 17.1 points, eight rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.4 assists. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pacers vs. Lakers picks
Severance is leaning Under on the total, and he's also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks.
Who wins Pacers vs. Lakers, and what critical x-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pacers vs. Lakers spread to jump on, all from the expert on a 20-3 NBA roll, and find out.
