Grizzlies vs. Pacers Prediction, Picks for Sunday, Jan. 28
Here's everything you need to know about Grizzlies vs. Pacers on Sunday, Jan. 28 — our expert prediction and betting picks for today.
The Grizzlies are beginning to establish some momentum as they look to crawl out of the basement in the Western Conference, and Sunday they'll put their form to a real test when they visit Indiana.
Can the Pacers keep trending in the right direction with a big home win to close out the week?
Let's get to our Grizzlies vs. Pacers prediction and pick.
Grizzlies vs. Pacers Prediction
Pick: Pacers -9.5 (-110)
Grizzlies Betting Outlook
Well, where do we start with this game? The Grizzlies are looking good right now, picking up some impressive wins in succession over the Raptors, Heat and Magic. They'll also come into this game against the Pacers with a laundry list of injuries, throwing some cold water on their winning streak.
This is a team already behind the proverbial eight-ball without Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke and Steven Adams, who have all been lost to surgery. Now, they'll play on Sunday without Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard as well. That'll force this team to rely in the likes of John Konchar, Zaire Williams and GG Jackson — something that doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
Memphis is already ranked 24th against the 3 this season, so without its front-line defenders here on the perimeter it will be facing an uphill battle against a Pacers team that loves to shoot the 3.
The saving grace for this team is that none of these new injuries will impact the frontcourt, which has done a bang-up job so far this season.
Pacers Betting Outlook
The Pacers' brilliant offense this season has featured a two-pronged attack. Sure, they rank fifth in terms of shot frequency within four feet, but they're still right toward the top of the league in 3-point attempts on average and have been the fourth-best team from outside, knocking down 38.9% of their looks.
So, there should be ample ways for this team to score — even without Tyrese Haliburton, who will sit this one out as he continues to nurse his hamstring to full health.
Defensively, things should get a bit easier for a team ranked in the bottom five of the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions. Not only have the Pacers been much better on defense over the last 10 games, they'll run into a Grizzlies offense which is the second-worst in the NBA and down pretty much every one of their scorers.
Indiana's lone bright spot this season has been its work at the rim, allowing an acceptable 66.2% of shots to fall, and we can expect Memphis to rely heavily upon its frontcourt for scoring here.
Grizzlies vs. Pacers Picks, Odds
| Grizzlies Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9 -112 | 229 -110o / -110u | +310 |
| Pacers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9 -108 | 229 -110o / -110u | -395 |
The Pacers have seen a marked improvement in their defensive abilities over the last couple of weeks, and we should continue see the arrow pointing up here against what should be a horrid Grizzlies offense which is missing all of its scorers.
On top of that, while Memphis has been able to win games behind its defense this season, Indiana has seen a bump in its 3-point success at home and should find plenty of open looks without the likes of Smart and Bane out there.
There's an edge for the home team pretty much everywhere you look here, including on the glass, so I'll go ahead and lay the points with a team which has gone 14-8-2 against the spread at home this year.
Pick: Pacers -9.5 (-110)
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