The race isn’t over yet. The Pacers currently have sole possession of the seventh seed in the east, but the Bulls (eighth seed) and Heat (ninth) are still right on their tail. Both teams are just a game short of the Indiana.
That said, losing isn’t an option for the Pacers, who have won three-straight games (3-0 ATS). Paul George has been nothing but superb in his team’s final postseason push, averaging 34.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists in this month of April. He is also averaging 25.0 points in three meetings with Philadelphia this season, including a 28-point effort in the first encounter back in November.
The home team has emerged victorious in this regular-season series, but that trend should end with George and co. playing for a much bigger purpose—a playoff berth—compared to a lottery-bound Sixers side.
For those hoping for an upset here, it’s not wise to go with the Sixers, who have gone just 2-8 SU and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games. But if the team’s hard-working youngsters, like Dario Saric, Richaun Holmes and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, continue to play well, then things could potentially end up pretty interesting.
Saric is averaging 12.9 points per game this season, and has scored in double figures in three of his last four games. Holmes and Luwawu-Cabarrot, meanwhile, are both having spectacular starts in April, putting up 11.8 and 18.0 points, respectively. The latter also heads into this game having finished with at least 12 points in five-straight contests.
Philadelphia has lost its last four games at home, going 0-4 against the spread during that stretch.
