Despite the Los Angeles Lakers’ recent struggles on the court, Luka Doncic has continued to put up jaw-dropping numbers. He’s poised to continue doing so on the road against the Indiana Pacers tonight.
Even with LeBron James back by his side, Doncic continues to put up MVP-type numbers, and my Lakers vs. Pacers predictions and NBA picks for Wednesday, March 26 doesn’t expect Indiana’s middling defense to be able to put a stop to it.
Lakers vs Pacers prediction
My best bet: Luka Doncic Over 45.5 points + rebounds + assists (-115 at bet365)
My analysis
As if everyone in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex didn’t already want Nico Harrison fired and Mark Cuban back as majority owner, Luka Doncic has made that hatred for the Mavericks’ leadership burn ten times worse with his recent play.
When the Los Angeles Lakers first acquired the five-time All-Star in one of the most shocking trades in the history of sports, he was coming off an injury that caused him to miss 22 straight games. Naturally, he was a little rusty when he first donned the Purple and Gold.
In Doncic’s first three games in the City of Angels, he averaged just 14.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 5.3 APG while shooting 5-for-24 from behind the arc (20.8%). Those numbers resemble something closer to a Michael Carter-Williams stat line than the numbers one of the faces of the NBA should be putting up.
However, Doncic has completely settled in over his last 15 games playing for JJ Redick, and has heated up even more over his last 11 outings. Since the start of March, Doncic is averaging 31.2 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 8.6 RPG (48.5 PRA), and has gone 51-for-120 (42.5%) from deep.
He’s putting on MVP performances every night, even in losses, and has gone Over 45.5 PRA in eight of his last 10 games. He should be able to do it once again against a Indiana Pacers defense that hasn’t been overly inspiring this season.
Rick Carlisle’s unit is 17th in the league in points allowed per game (115.2), 26th in field goal percentage allowed (47.5%), 27th in 2-pointers allowed (29.7), and 20th in rebounds allowed (44.8). The Pacers don’t have any defender capable of slowing Doncic’s near triple-double averages this month.
The last time the Lakers played the Pacers, Los Angeles had both Doncic and James resting on the bench and still managed to drop 124 in a win. In that matchup, Austin Reaves did his best Doncic impression by putting up 45 points with seven rebounds and seven assists.
Just imagine what the real thing can do against Indiana tonight.
Lakers vs Pacers same-game parlay
When these two teams played in early February, they combined for 241 points thanks to neither team seeming to be overly interested in playing defense. Reaves and Rui Hachimura combined for 69 points and seven Pacers scored in the double-digits, after all.
With both James and Doncic in this time around, just think about the potential of the Over hitting, especially with the way Doncic and Tyrese Haliburton have played lately. The Pacers’ two-time All-Star has been an assist machine since late February.
Haliburton has been handing out so many apples that he’s fourth in the league in APG (9.1) now and could climb higher if he keeps up his pace. The Iowa State product has gone for double-digit assists in 11 straight games and has gone Over 10.5 in eight of them.
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Lakers vs Pacers odds
Lakers vs Pacers live odds
Lakers vs Pacers opening odds
- Spread: Los Angeles +1.5 | Indiana -1.5
- Moneyline: Los Angeles +100 | Indiana -120
- Over/Under: Over 232.5 | Under 232.5
Odds courtesy of bet365
Lakers vs Pacers spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Pacers opened as a 1.5-point favorite but the line has done a complete 360 with most sportsbooks now offering the Lakers -1.5.
- Los Angeles is among the best teams ATS this season at 39-31-1 while Indiana is among the worst at just 32-37-2.
- The Over/Under opened as low as 232.5 and has steadily been rising with it now as high as 235.5.
- Both the Lakers and Pacers are in the bottom half of the league when it comes to hitting the Over with L.A. at 35-36 and Indiana at 35-34-2.
Lakers vs Pacers trend
The Lakers have covered the spread in 31 of their last 49 games (+12.30 Units / 23% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Pacers.
How to watch Lakers vs Pacers
Location | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
Date | Wednesday, 3-26-2025 |
Tip-off | 7:30 p.m. ET |
TV | ESPN |
Lakers vs Pacers latest injuries
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