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Indiana Pacers vs. Memphis Grizzlies Betting Preview

Sunday night features a battle of East versus West as the Indiana Pacers (24-27) take on the Memphis Grizzlies (31-18). The Grizzlies will host this one at the FedEx Forum, with tipoff scheduled for 6:00 pm ET.

The Pacers come into this one having lost back-to-back games, including a 141-131 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday. In the loss, Myles Turner had a team-high 24 points, while Buddy Hield, Bennedict Mathurin, and T.J. McConnell combined for 62 points.

The Grizzlies have also struggled as of late, having lost five games in a row. Their most recent loss was a 111-100 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ja Morant had a triple-double in the loss, putting up 27 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.

Memphis opens as the favorites in this one. They are -333 to win, while the Pacers’ moneyline sits at +220. The spread features Indiana as 9-point underdogs (-110).

Pacers Look To Get Back To Winning Ways

After starting the season 23-18, the Pacers have lost nine of their last 10 games. While they are solid at home (16-10), they have really struggled on the road (8-17). They will try to improve on that road record as they travel to Memphis Sunday night.

Offensively, Indiana ranks 10th in the NBA, averaging 115.4 points per game (112.4 on the road). Unfortunately, the Pacers’ biggest threat, Tyrese Haliburton (20.2 points, 10.2 assists), remains out with an elbow injury.

With him out, the leading scorers for the Pacers have been Buddy Hield (17.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists), Bennedict Mathurin (17.7 points, 4.1 rebounds), and Myles Turner (17.5 points, 7.9 rebounds).

On the defensive side, the Pacers have struggled this season. They rank 25th in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 117.3 points per game (118.9 on the road).

Grizzlies Try To Break Losing Streak

Despite having lost five in a row, the Grizzlies still sit 31-18 overall, second in the Western Conference. Sitting just 2.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets, the Grizzlies will look to close the gap by getting back in the win streak at home, where they are 20-3 this season.

Defensively, Memphis ranks 13th overall this season. They are allowing opponents 112.5 points per game (108.8 at home).

Offensively, Memphis has been elite. They rank seventh in the league, averaging 116.8 points per game (120 at home). The team is led by guard Ja Morant, who is averaging 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game.

Their second-leading scorer, Desmond Bane, is questionable for Sunday’s game with a knee injury. This season, he has averaged 21.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists per game.

Jaren Jackson Jr (16.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 blocks), Dillon Brooks (15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists), Tyus Jones (10.6 points, 4.7 assists), and Brandon Clarke (10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds) have also had nice seasons.

Take The Grizzlies To Win And Cover

Looking at the trends, Indiana has not only gone 1-9 in their last 10 games, but they are just 1-7 against the spread in their last eight contests. Furthermore, they are 0-6 against the spread in their last six road games.

For Memphis, they are 0-5 in their last five games, but those have all been on the road. In their last seven home games, they are undefeated.

The Grizzlies could not be more happy that their five-game road trip is over, and some home cooking should do them some good. Memphis is one of just three teams in the NBA to have 20 home wins already, and they have the fewest losses with three.

Expect them to get back into the win column, and expect them to do it in a big way. The Pacers just haven’t been the same team without Tyrese Haliburton in the lineup, and their struggles will continue Sunday.

Take Memphis to both win and to cover the 9-point spread (-110).

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