NBA Basketball
2012-03-28 - Indiana Pacers at New Jersey Nets
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States: NBA Basketball
Wednesday 28 March 2012 - Tip Off 7:30pm ET
12:30am (British Standard Time)
Preview
The Indiana Pacers (29-19) have made it clear that they want to pick up some momentum going into the Play Offs after earning a big win over the Miami Heat in their last game. They will not want to fall to one of the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference as they visit the New Jersey Nets (16-35) for the fourth and final time this season.
A win over the Miami Heat is always a big deal, but it feels bigger for Indiana who have shown that last season was not a flash in the pan when they pushed the Chicago Bulls in the First Round of the Play Offs. There could still be more to come from the Pacers as they trail Orlando, the current Number 3 seed, by just two games.
The Pacers will want to improve their record on the road if they are to make waves in the Play Offs this season, although they have won their last 2 road games following a 2-7 run. Indiana are 4-1 in their last 5 games overall.
New Jersey are moving into a new home in Brooklyn next season and they were hoping to get there with a couple of All-Star players but that looks like being a dream at this stage. Dwight Howard committed to playing with Orlando for at least another season, while Deron Williams is certain to test the Free Agency market after getting more and more frustrated here.
The Nets are just 1-6 in their last 7 games overall and they look like they will be shorthanded for this contest. Brook Lopez and Jordan Farmer are both out until next month, while Anthony Morrow is a doubt and listed as day-to-day.
Head to Head
Indiana have won all 3 games against the Nets this season, although they are just 1-2 against the spread in those games.
The Pacers have won their last 10 meetings with the Nets by an average of 13.4 points per game, and they are 5-0 against the spread in their last 5 games in the Garden State.
New Jersey are 7-17-1 against the spread at home this season, Indiana are 13-13 on the road.
New Jersey are 15-22-1 against the spread as the underdog, Indiana are 13-17 as the favourite.
Other Interesting Trends
New Jersey are 3-10 against the spread in their last 13 as the home underdog of between 5 and 10.5 points.
They are 6-16 against the spread in their last 22 games following a double-digit loss at home.
Indiana are just 4-11 against the spread in their last 15 games as the road favourite of between 5 and 10.5 points.
Prediction
I am going to pick the Indiana Pacers to win this game and cover the spread for the following reasons:
First, New Jersey are not playing well at the moment and they have performed badly when losing a game that they were considered a favourite, going 1-4 against the spread in their next game.
Second, Indiana have dominated the recent games in the series and have covered the spread in their last 5 visits to New Jersey.
Third, the Nets are just 0-3 against the spread when playing teams with winning records in the second half of the season.
The Pick :
New Jersey Nets 94-101 Indiana Pacers
