Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets aim to stop a four-game losing skid on Monday evening. Brooklyn hosts the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center. The Pacers defeated the Nets on Saturday, improving to 3-4 this season, while Brooklyn enters the rematch at 1-5 overall. Seth Curry (ankle) and T.J. Warren (foot) are out for Brooklyn, while Ben Simmons (knee) is questionable. T.J. McConnell (knee) and Aaron Nesmith (foot) are questionable for Indiana, with Daniel Theis (knee) ruled out.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Brooklyn as the 7.5-point favorite for this 7:30 p.m. ET tip. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 235 in the latest Pacers vs. Nets odds. Before making any Nets vs. Pacers picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four seasons. The model enters Week 3 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 97-65 roll on all top-rated NBA picks that dates back to last season, returning more than $2,400. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nets vs. Pacers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Pacers vs. Nets:
- Nets vs. Pacers spread: Nets -7.5
- Nets vs. Pacers over/under: 235 points
- Nets vs. Pacers money line: Nets -335, Pacers +260
- IND: The Pacers are 3-4 against the spread this season
- BKN: The Nets are 1-5 against the spread this season
- Nets vs. Pacers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Pacers can cover
Indiana's offense is operating at a tremendous level to begin the 2022-23 season. The Pacers are scoring 116.5 points per 100 possessions, No. 6 in the NBA. Indiana leads the league in offensive rebound rate at 35.3%, and the Pacers are in the top eight in 3-point shooting at 38.8%. Indiana is taking full advantage of the free throw line, ranking in the top 10 of the NBA in free throw creation (24.7 attempts per game) and accuracy (82.1%), with a top-five mark in assists and above-average turnover prevention.
This is also a friendly matchup for Indiana's offense, with Brooklyn posting a bottom-three defensive rating (121.6 points allowed per 100 possessions) and opponents shooting 43.8% from 3-point range against the Nets. In the first matchup on Saturday, the Pacers made 23 of 46 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc, producing 31 assists and only 10 turnovers on the way to a win.
Why the Nets can cover
The Nets are off to a brutal start, but Durant remains one of the league's top players. The former MVP and future Hall of Fame forward is averaging 32.0 points per game on 51.2% shooting this season. Durant is a key part of Brooklyn's elite 2-point shooting, with the Nets making 55.8% of attempts inside the arc. The Nets are also facing a Pacers team that is giving up 43.5% 3-point shooting this season, and Brooklyn is in the top five of the NBA in free throw creation (27.5 attempts per game) and turnover prevention (13.0 giveaways per game) in 2022-23.
On defense, the Nets are leading the league in blocked shots, averaging 8.5 rejections per game, and Brooklyn is in the top five of the NBA in 2-point accuracy allowed at 49.8%. Indiana is shooting just 48.5% from the inside the arc and 44.4% from the field this season, playing into the hands of Brooklyn's defense.
How to make Pacers vs. Nets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 245 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. See which side to back at SportsLine.
So who wins Nets vs. Pacers? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
