The Indiana Pacers will welcome the Utah Jazz to town on Monday night in an interesting cross-conference battle. Originally set to be a battle between two top backcourt stars in Donovan Mitchell and Victor Oladipo, the Pacers' star will now miss the showdown due to knee soreness.
At 8-8, the Jazz enter the game currently outside of the playoff picture in the crowded Western Conference. While it's still only November, it's clear that every game is going to count once again this season -- not only for which eight teams get in, but for seeding as well. The Jazz won't want to pass up an opportunity to get a win against a team missing their best player.
For the Pacers, their 10-6 start has proven last season to be no fluke. This team may not be a contender in the upper echelon of the conference, but they aren't far behind. That's because they have a lot of depth and play hard each and every night. With Oladipo out, they'll need to rely on that depth and their hard work if they want to defeat the Jazz.
How to watch Jazz at Pacers
- Date: Monday, Nov. 19
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse -- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Streaming: fuboTV (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
- Live stats: GameTracker
- Odds: Jazz -3.5
Odds and analysis
Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.
Storylines
Jazz: It's a been a bit of a disappointing and confusing start to the season for the Jazz, who have looked tremendous at times, and downright dreadful at others. The past 10 days or so provided a perfect snapshot, as they beat the Celtics twice, but also lost to the Mavericks by 50. No, that is not a typo. Coming off that second win over the Celtics, they'll try to keep the positive momentum going in Indiana, and it seems as though they'll catch a break, with Oladipo set to miss the game due to knee soreness.
Pacers: The Pacers have picked up where they left off last season, proving that their surprise success was no fluke. Currently on a two-game winning streak, they're 10-6, good for third place in the East. Unfortunately, it's going to be tough for them to extend their winning ways, with their star shelved with knee soreness. Without their leading scorer, the Pacers may find it difficult to score against a stout Jazz defense.
Game prediction, pick
The Jazz are on the road, and have been inconsistent this season, but with Oladipo out of the game, you have to pick them. Especially with the line still pretty low at just -3.5.
