Tonight was supposed to be an exciting throwdown between the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers. Any excitement around a competitive matchup was tossed away when Brooklyn decided to sit their entire core rotation. The Nets enter this matchup without Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons, and most of their role players.
Tonight is the fourth matchup between the two teams. Indiana leads the season series 2-1, most recently securing an 11-point victory over Brooklyn in November. With Myles Turner set to return to the lineup tonight, Indiana will look to win convincingly.
Find out the best options with our free NBA betting picks and predictions for the Nets vs. Pacers on December 10.
Nets vs Pacers best odds
Nets vs Pacers picks and predictions
This game should be easy for the Indiana Pacers, who will face off with the Brooklyn Nets without a large chunk of their roster. This will include Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Nic Claxton, Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, T.J. Warren, Royce O'Neale, and Joe Harris. There is no way the Nets will win tonight, and Tyrese Haliburton will likely be in line for a productive night.
With Simmons out of the lineup, the Nets will struggle to slow down Haliburton. The 6'5 point guard is amongst the league's most talented guards, and his court vision is simply incredible. Tonight, with the Nets undermanned, look for Haliburton to get to his spots and set his teammates up for easy opportunities. For the season, Haliburton is the best assist man in the league, dishing out 11.0 per night.
Now, here is where things get tricky. While Haliburton is incredible, the Nets are entering this matchup so depleted that it wouldn't surprise me to see Indiana up big early. This can significantly impact Haliburton's stat line, as the Pacers will likely will not play him big minutes if they take command of the game early.
In addition, Haliburton's 9.3 assists per game against the Nets in three contests this year is almost two assists per game lower than his season average. Haliburton will be effective tonight, but the Under is the more appealing play here.
My best bet: Tyrese Haliburton Under 11.5 assists (-124)
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Nets vs Pacers spread analysis
The spread for tonight's matchup between the Nets and Pacers opened up at Nets -1. The oddsmakers initially dismissed the fact Indiana has already scored two wins against Brooklyn this season. That has since changed, with the Pacers now being favored between -8 and -8.5 across sportsbooks after the Nets decided to sit most of their core players tonight.
In the last matchup between Indiana and Brooklyn, the Nets were -3.5 favorites and ultimately lost the game by 11 points. Tonight could be a bad spot for Brooklyn, who hasn't been great on any day's rest. For the season, the Nets are 2-4 when playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
That is likely indicative of their veteran roster makeup. The Nets are the sixth-oldest team in the NBA (27.57). Meanwhile, the Pacers are the 10th youngest (25.08) and have proven they can gear up without rest and perform, with a 4-1 record on back-to-backs.
This is an ideal spot for the Pacers to generate a victory against an older team sitting their starters. Look for Indiana to bully the Nets on the boards, as Brooklyn ranks dead-last in offensive and defensive rebounding rate.
Nets vs Pacers Over/Under analysis
The Nets and Pacers have combined for at least 225 points or more in each of their first three meetings, so it's no surprise the Over is 2-1. When these two teams play one another, there never seems to be a dull moment, with points being scored in bunches. But tonight will be different.
The fact Durant and Irving are sitting greatly stunts the Over here. Durant has had some of his best games this season with no rest, scoring 45 points against the Orlando Magic on November 28. Irving has performed well playing on no rest, excluding a four-point clunker against the Chicago Bulls. Not having either of these two stars make the Under the obvious play.
Tonight, the oddsmakers have this one set currently anywhere between 224 and 225. The Nets are 11-16 to the O/U this season and have only hit the Over twice in their last seven games. The Pacers also tend to lean Under, with an 11-14-1 O/U mark on the season.
The Nets will also have a challenging time with Myles Turner defending the rim. I like the Under here.
Nets vs Pacers betting trend to know
The Under is 4-0 in the Nets' last four road games vs. a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Pacers.
Nets vs Pacers game info
| Location: | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
| Date: | Saturday, December 10, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | YES, BSIN |
