Saturday night in the NBA will see the Philadelphia 76ers travel to Indiana to take on the Indiana Pacers. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm start time and it will be televised live locally. Currently the odds have Indiana favored by 4.5 points with the total sitting at 189.5 points for the contest.
Free Analysis: The Philadelphia 76ers are on the verge of clinching their spot in the postseason. All they need is one more win or a loss by the Milwaukee Bucks. Philadelphia is stumbling down the stretch as they've lost 13 of 20 since a 3-0 run March 7-11, winning two straight only once in that span and going 2-10 against teams with above-.500 records. One of those defeats was a 102-97 home loss to Indiana on Tuesday. Philadelphia blew a three-game Atlantic Division lead - Boston clinched that title earlier this week - but is in good shape to make the playoffs following Wednesday's 103-87 victory over Cleveland. It took a while for the Sixers to get going, but after some stern words from coach Doug Collins, Jrue Holiday ignited the team with five treys to lead the team with a game-high 24 points and ensure victory. Andre Iguodala also added 19 points and 13 rebounds, but with the game practically won after three quarters, coach Collins was able to rest his starters and give his reserves plenty of playing time. Philadelphia made its way into playoff contention early in the season based on a strong team defense and a balanced offense, but In the seven losses this month, the 76ers have allowed an average of 99.9 points. Meanwhile, the Pacers have probably been the hottest team heading into the playoffs, with 11 wins in their last 12 games, including seven wins on the trot and they have locked up the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Their hot form was on full display in their last outing as they took down the Bucks by 118-109 behind a game-high 29 points from Danny Granger. George Hill also had 22 points and eight assists, while David West added 21 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists as the Pacers put together their highest point total of the season. "This is our house," George Hill said Thursday after scoring 22 points with eight assists. "We can't let anybody come in here and try to take advantage of us, push us around. We've got to be the ones who go out and do that." Hill has done plenty since taking over the starting point guard job from Darren Collison, who has missed six of the last seven games with a sore groin. Hill, a first-year Pacer, is averaging 15.4 points and 5.4 assists while starting each game during Indiana's current surge.Danny Granger has averaged 22.0 points in the last two meetings and of the teams' past 15 matchups, Indiana is 7-1 when Granger scores at least 20. The Pacers are 11-5-1 the last 17 meetings.
Free Pick: Gonna look to the under in this one. The Pacers have very little to play for in this one, so Im not expecting them to go all out, especially on offense. Philly, on the other hand, needs this one badly and they will look to their defense to get it. The Sixer defense has allowed 99.3 ppg in their last 7 losses, but still this group has allowed just 88.9 ppg overall and 92.5 ppg on the road. The Sixers have to rely on their defense as they just don't score a ton, averaging 92.1 ppg in their last 10 games and 94 ppg on the road this year. Indiana had some lapses during the middle of the year and they have allowed 96 ppg in their last 7 games, but still they have allowed just 92.8 ppg at home on the year. The Pacers should come out flat after wrapping up the no. 3 seed and I feel that will hurt more on offense than defense. The Sixer defense has been very tough for much of the year and they will look to it again here. More defense than offense in this one.
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Free Picks: Sixers at Pacers Betting
http://PregameVideos.com - Pacers could be resting players if they wrap up 3 spot and Sixers trying to hold on to last playoff spot plus other factors NBA bettors need to know about Sixers at Pacers (Saturday, April 21, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Scott Spreitzer and analysis from host Vegas Runner.