MEMPHIS vs INDIANA 10/17/2018 Odds, Picks & Preview

The MEMPHIS and the INDIANA will both be gunning for a victory on 10/17/2018 at 7:05 PM when they meet in a game matchup.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES vs INDIANA PACERS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: -6.5
PREDICTION: INDIANA , MEMPHIS

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as -6.5 point favorites versus the MEMPHIS, while the game’s total is sitting at 208.

The Indiana Pacers have recorded three straight winning seasons, but were bounced from the first round of the playoffs each time. Behind All-Star guard Victor Oladipo and a retooled supporting cast, the Pacers hope to take a step up the ladder in the Eastern Conference and they begin that pursuit Wednesday against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies in the season opener for both teams.

Oladipo broke out to average 23.1 points and an NBA-leading 2.4 steals in his first season with Indiana, which took eventual Eastern Conference-champion Cleveland to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. The Pacers imported former Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans, who averaged 19.4 points last season, and sharpshooter Doug McDermott to help bolster a team that ranked sixth in the NBA in shooting (47.2 percent) but was tied for 25th in made 3-pointers per game. The Grizzlies saw a streak of seven straight playoff appearances come to an end last spring as star point guard Mike Conley missed all but 12 games due to Achilles and heel issues. The Ohio State product showed no rust in four preseason contests, averaging 16.5 points on 54.5 percent shooting in 27 minutes.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Memphis), FS Indiana

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (2017-18: 22-60): The prize for a 22-win season was the fourth pick in the draft, which gave Memphis the right to select Jaren Jackson Jr., a candidate to start at power forward. The 6-11 Michigan State product averaged 13.4 points in 20.4 minutes – including 18 in 24 minutes against Indiana on Oct. 6 – while making 5-of-9 from 3-point range during the preseason. He will get some guidance along the way from veteran big man Marc Gasol, who averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 blocks in two games against the Pacers last season.

ABOUT THE PACERS (2017-18: 48-34): Indiana’s chance to take a step forward may depend largely on the play of talented power forward Myles Turner, whose production dipped a bit last season but who has the potential to be a game-changer on both ends. “Myles is amazing,” Oladipo told the Indianapolis Star. “He’s changed his body. You can see it. He’s more confident. His head is in the right place.” The 22-year-old Turner, who reportedly signed a four-year extension this week, was third in the NBA with 1.82 blocks per game while making a career-high 56 3-pointers in 2017-18.

TIP-INS

1. The Pacers won both meetings last season, although Oladipo averaged 17 points on 40.6 percent shooting.

2. Grizzlies SF Chandler Parsons is healthy after playing just 70 games over the last two seasons.

3. Memphis ranked 24th in 3-point attempts (26.2) last season, while Indiana was 26th (24.5).

PREDICTION: Pacers 109, Grizzlies 102

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