INDIANA vs CHICAGO
When: 12/26/2020 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: 3.5
PREDICTION: CHICAGO , INDIANA

Oddsmakers currently have the CHICAGO listed as 3.5 point favorites versus the INDIANA, while the game’s total is sitting at 223.

An Indiana Pacers team finally looking like it did two seasons ago is set to hit the road for the first time Wednesday to meet a Chicago Bulls team working on an entirely new identity.

Pacers guard Victor Oladipo appeared to turn the clock back to 2018 after a trying two seasons when he was left to recover from a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee.

After playing just 36 games in the 2018-19 season and 19 last season, Oladipo scored 22 points with four rebounds and four assists in a 121-107 home victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Oladipo’s first half was rusty, much like his return from injury that started in January and continued when the Pacers’ 2019-20 season resumed in August. He made only two shots from the field in the opening two quarters Wednesday before leading the charge in the second half with 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting.

“I’m still getting stronger, getting my power back and things like that, but I’m healed,” Oladipo said. “At the end of the day, I just go out there and play aggressive, play my game, be myself and be assertive. And when I do that, everything else is just free flowing.”

The Pacers won their first game under new head coach Nate Bjorkgren after Nate McMillan got the Pacers into the playoffs in each of his four seasons but couldn’t get the team out of the first round. He was fired after the Pacers fell to the Miami Heat in last season’s opening round.

The Bulls also have a new head coach in Billy Donovan, but unlike Bjorkgren’s quest of getting his team further into the playoffs, Donovan just wants to get his squad there. The Bulls have not been to the playoffs since 2017 when they were eliminated in the first round.

One game into the Donovan era, the Bulls showed that exorcising their demons will take some time. Chicago fell 124-104 in their opener at home against the Atlanta Hawks, getting off to a brutal start when they gave up 42 points in the first quarter and 83 in the first half.

“We’ve got to get physically tougher in terms of just on the ball and having some resistance, preventing the ball from getting to the rim, then being able to close back out,” Donovan said.

“In that 40-point (first quarter), Atlanta played really well offensively. They made shots even though I didn’t think our defense was great. I don’t want to take away from what they did.”

Bulls rookie forward Patrick Williams, the No. 4 overall selection in the NBA draft, did have 16 points and four rebounds to provide a bright spot. At 19, Williams became the youngest player in Bulls history to start a season opener.

Zach LaVine scored 22 points for Chicago, while Lauri Markkanen had 21 points and seven rebounds. But after the disastrous first half, the Bulls are mostly looking to move past anything that happened in Game 1.

“The main thing is winning,” said LaVine, who had a career-best 25.5 points per game last season. “Individual things come after winning. I think over the last couple of years, you know, individually I’ve been one of the better players in the NBA when you look at it. But we didn’t get the wins, so you’re not going to get the recognition for that.”

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OKLAHOMA CITY vs INDIANA
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma, FS Indiana
LINE: -3
PREDICTION: Pacers 103, Thunder 101

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as -3 point favorites versus the OKLAHOMA CITY, while the game’s total is sitting at 214.

The Indiana Pacers look like one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference with six wins in their last seven games and are doing it without a superstar in the lineup. The Pacers will try to ride their balanced attack to a fourth consecutive win when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

Indiana is still without All-Star guard Victor Oladipo while he recovers from knee surgery and the team is relying on the entire rotation to do the scoring. “I think our guys are doing a good job of taking what the defense gives,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan told reporters. “What we talk about is getting organized – if we don’t have anything early, a good look or layup, we want to get organized and execute our offense. Those guys have been doing a really good job at doing that.” The Thunder pushed the Milwaukee Bucks to the end on Sunday before falling 121-119 and are winners of three of their last five while enjoying their own balanced scoring attack. Shooting guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the team in scoring at an average of 21 points and followed up his lowest-scoring game of the season – 12 points in a win over Golden State on Saturday – with 22 points on Sunday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma, FS Indiana

ABOUT THE THUNDER (4-6): Oklahoma City forward Danilo Gallinari suffered through one of his worst shooting nights while going 4-of-17 from the floor on Sunday but knocked down a 3-pointer down the stretch to keep his team close and is impressed with his young teammates. “We had a lot of fight in us and that’s something we’re going to bring every night,” Gallinari told reporters. “That’s something that we try and make a guarantee for this team to bring it every night.” Backup point guard Dennis Schroder helped keep the Thunder in the game with a season-high 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting Sunday – his third 20-plus effort in the last eight contests.

ABOUT THE PACERS (6-4): While the Pacers wait for Oladipo and center Myles Turner (ankle) to rejoin the team, power forward Domantas Sabonis is quietly becoming a star. The 23-year-old Gonzaga product posted his fourth straight double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds in Sunday’s 109-102 victory at Orlando and matched a season high with seven assists. Sabonis’s 21 points led the way on Sunday but T.J. Warren (19 points), Malcolm Brogdon (19) and Doug McDermott (18) each contributed to the balanced attack while reserve point guard T.J. McConnell enjoyed a second straight solid outing with 12 points and eight assists in 20 minutes.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers SG Jeremy Lamb (ankle) sat out the last three games and remains day-to-day.

2. Thunder C Steven Adams (knee contusion) sat out Sunday and is day-to-day.

3. The home team took each of the two meetings last season.

PREDICTION: Pacers 103, Thunder 101

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WASHINGTON WIZARDS vs INDIANA PACERS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Monday, December 10, 2018
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: -6
PREDICTION: INDIANA , WASHINGTON

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as -6 point favorites versus the WASHINGTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 214.5.

All-Star guard Victor Oladipo remains out indefinitely with a knee injury, but that isn’t stopping the Indiana Pacers from finding wins. The Pacers will try to push their current streak to four straight and improve to 7-4 since Oladipo went down when they host the Washington Wizards on Monday.

The Pacers held each of the last three opponents under 100 points and recovered from a lackluster first half to knock off the Sacramento Kings 107-97 on Saturday. “It’s just about playing hard,” Indiana center Myles Turner told reporters. “I know I said that a lot, about playing hard, but that’s what it is. We started the game so lackadaisical and I think around halftime we kind of got a fire lit under us and just started playing so much better.” The Wizards remain maddeningly inconsistent and followed up a three-game winning streak with a 116-101 loss at lowly Cleveland on Saturday. “It was definitely disappointing,” shooting guard Bradley Beal told reporters of the loss. “We didn’t come out with the same focus and intensity as the last three games that we won. We kind of took a step back a little bit.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS Washington, FS Indiana

ABOUT THE WIZARDS (11-15): Washington allowed the Cavaliers to shoot 52.8 percent from the floor and knock down 15 3-pointers, and coach Scott Brooks wasn’t happy with his team’s intensity. “I’m disappointed in the way our mindset wasn’t right,” Brooks told reporters. “We gave up everything they wanted. Give them credit. They attacked and got open shots in the paint. They got open 3’s. When you give teams open opportunities, they are going to take advantage of it. … We didn’t have the right mindset.” All-Star point guard John Wall was the worst of the bunch, finishing with one point on 0-of-5 shooting in 26 minutes while playing through an illness.

ABOUT THE PACERS (16-10): Indiana is surviving the loss of Oladipo by spreading out the points and placed seven scorers in double figures in Saturday’s victory, led by 20 points from power forward Thaddeus Young. Domantas Sabonis led three reserves in double figures with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 24 minutes while fighting food poisoning. “We have a lot of weapons on this team and now everybody is playing with confidence,” Turner told reporters. “I think that’s one thing that’s grown a lot. I don’t think guys at the beginning of the season were playing with as much confidence as they’re playing with right now.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers PG Cory Joseph is shooting 53.7 percent from the floor over the last five games.

2. Wizards SF Sam Dekker, who arrived in a trade from Milwaukee, could make his team debut on Monday.

3. Washington took five of the last six in the series.

PREDICTION: Pacers 110, Wizards 96

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INDIANA PACERS vs ORLANDO MAGIC
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Friday, December 7, 2018
Where: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: -2
PREDICTION: ORLANDO , INDIANA

Oddsmakers currently have the ORLANDO listed as -2 point favorites versus the INDIANA, while the game’s total is sitting at 206.5.

The Indiana Pacers are keeping their heads above water while they wait out Victor Oladipo’s knee injury, even if it doesn’t always look good. They will try to look the part and pick up a second straight win when they visit the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Darren Collison led four players in double figures with 23 points as Indiana survived 18 turnovers and a 43-point first half in a 96-90 win over Chicago at home Tuesday night. “It was a pretty murky, muddy kind of game,” center Myles Turner told reporters after his team improved to 4-4 since Oladipo was sidelined. “It wasn’t a pretty win, but wins are hard to come by in this league and we got it done.” The Magic returned from a solid 3-3 road trip to take the streaking Denver Nuggets to overtime before falling 124-117 on Wednesday. Orlando hit a season-high 20 3-pointers — six by Evan Fournier — while dipping to 6-7 at home.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, FS Florida (Orlando)

ABOUT THE PACERS (14-10): Turner finished Tuesday’s win with 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots while Domantas Sabonis fell a point shy of an 11th double-double. Tyreke Evans has started all eight games in place of Oladipo but has struggled at times, scoring 9.4 points on 31.3 percent shooting in that role after producing 11.2 on 40 percent in 15 games off the bench. “He’s had some turnovers, some missed shots lately, (but) we’re not going to go away from him,” coach Nate McMillan told the media of Evans. “Off the bench, he was doing some good things for us. Hopefully he’ll find his rhythm and start knocking down some of those shots.”

ABOUT THE MAGIC (12-13): Fournier finished with 26 points in a solid return home after a difficult road trip in which he shot 33.8 percent and recorded four single-digit scoring efforts. He took four of his team’s season-low eight free throws while fouling out and then receiving a second technical, part of a frustrating night for a team that feels it deserves more respect. “It’s terrible, man, and that’s why it’s frustrating,” Fournier told reporters after the Nuggets attempted 37 free throws. “We’re a team that never complains and we never get the calls. Then we start to say something and then we get the technicals. What is that?”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Indiana has won seven straight meetings overall between the two teams and also seven in a row at Orlando.

2. Magic C Nikola Vucevic had 24 points and 15 rebounds against Denver while making at least 50 percent of his shots for the 11th straight time.

3. Collison is averaging 12.4 points, 8.2 assists and three steals over his last five games and is 5-for-7 from 3-point range over the last two.

PREDICTION: Magic 106, Pacers 101

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MIAMI HEAT vs INDIANA PACERS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Friday, November 16, 2018
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: -4.5
PREDICTION: INDIANA , MIAMI

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as -4.5 point favorites versus the MIAMI, while the game’s total is sitting at 212.

The Indiana Pacers are struggling with one win in their last four games but got a rare four-day break to practice and attempt to fix some of the problems. The Pacers will show off the results of that practice when they host the Miami Heat on Friday.

Indiana, which earned a 110-102 win at Miami last Friday for its lone victory in the last four contests, is struggling to find balance on the offensive end with All-Star Victor Oladipo dominating the ball. “We talk about execution, and execution is working to get a good shot. It is on Victor. When he feels he has a good shot, we want him to take that – but also create opportunities for other guys when that defense is committed to him,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan told reporters. “Part of this process of establishing our style is trusting each other, recognizing a matchup and trying to take advantage of that and get those guys the ball.” Miami has a chance to sweep its two-game road trip after snapping a three-game slide with a 120-107 victory at Brooklyn on Wednesday. The Heat, who held a team meeting following a 124-114 home loss to Philadelphia on Monday, were noticeably better on the defensive end, holding the Nets to 40.2 percent shooting.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Miami), FS Indiana

ABOUT THE HEAT (6-8): Miami got a season-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting off the bench on Wednesday from guard Tyler Johnson, who is building some consistency with four straight games in double figures. “We need him to be aggressive off the bench,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters of Johnson. “…He’s reading it, because not every play is just to make to the rim. But the aggressiveness certainly is important for us. It’s good for him to see the ball go in, because he’s been putting a lot of time at it.” Fellow guard Goran Dragic is putting up solid numbers as well with an average of 21.5 points in the last two games after going scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting in a loss to Washington on Saturday.

ABOUT THE PACERS (8-6): Oladipo averages 20 field-goal attempts while the next-highest shooter on the team – reserve guard Tyreke Evans – is at 9.6, and the discrepancy is something the team would like to fix. “He’s trying to get us involved,” point guard Darren Collison told the team’s website of Oladipo. “We have to take it upon ourselves to be more aggressive, too. With the shot disparity, you don’t want him to have that early in the season. He’ll wear down. Everybody has to take it upon themselves to help him out. And he’ll do a better job distributing as well.” Oladipo is shooting 45 percent from the floor and leads the team in scoring (23.8 points) and assists (4.9).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers SG Bojan Bogdanovic is 9-of-15 from 3-point range over the last three games.

2. Miami SG Dwyane Wade (personal) sat out the last five games and is not expected to play Friday.

3. Oladipo scored 22 points on 9-of-22 shooting in the 110-102 win at Miami on Nov. 9.

PREDICTION: Pacers 116, Heat 109

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INDIANA PACERS vs HOUSTON ROCKETS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Sunday, November 11, 2018
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: -3
PREDICTION: HOUSTON , INDIANA

Oddsmakers currently have the HOUSTON listed as -3 point favorites versus the INDIANA, while the game’s total is sitting at 209.

The Houston Rockets overcame their early doldrums with a solid start to a long road trip, but they head back home still in search of some answers. The Rockets will try to rediscover their winning form when they host the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

Houston won the first three contests of its five-game trek – including a 98-94 victory at Indiana on Monday – before being held under 90 points in consecutive losses at Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The Rockets, who possessed the second-best offense in the league last season (112.5 points per game), have been left behind by the NBA’s scoring uptick early in 2018-19 and were held under 100 points in each of the final four games of the trip. The Pacers won the opener of their two-game road trip, a 110-102 triumph at Miami on Friday in which Victor Oladipo registered 22 points and 10 assists. They’ve won five straight road contests for the first time since the end of the 2011-12 season.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE PACERS (8-5): Indiana was down eight points at halftime in Miami before limiting the Heat to 37 percent shooting after the break and finishing with a 16-2 run. “Defense, no question about it,” Oladipo told reporters of the difference in the win. “Nothing else.” Domantas Sabonis recorded 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting and is shooting 67 percent but is questionable for Sunday’s contest due to a sprained ankle.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (4-7): Star guards James Harden and Chris Paul were big reasons for Houston’s 33 percent shooting effort on Saturday, going a combined 11-for-40 in the 96-89 loss to the Spurs. Carmelo Anthony missed the contest due to an illness, and a report surfaced during the game that suggested the 10-time All-Star was in discussions with the team to see if and how the two sides can continue together. Anthony scored nine points in 24 minutes in the win over the Pacers before going 1-for-11 at Oklahoma City to drop his field-goal percentage to 40.5.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Pacers have not won six in a row on the road since they opened the 2003-04 campaign with a 7-0 mark away from home.

2. Rockets F James Ennis III missed all four of his shots – all 3-pointers – and finished with one point on Saturday.

3. Harden and Oladipo scored 28 points apiece in Houston’s 98-94 win at Indiana on Monday.

PREDICTION: Rockets 103, Pacers 100

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PHILADELPHIA 76ERS vs INDIANA PACERS
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: -2.5
PREDICTION: INDIANA , PHILADELPHIA

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as -2.5 point favorites versus the PHILADELPHIA, while the game’s total is sitting at 216.

Not only have the Philadelphia 76ers been unable to win on the road, but they’ve barely been competitive in those games. The Sixers will try for a sixth time to gain their first road victory when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Four of their five losses away from home have come by at least 15 points and Sunday’s dreadful 122-97 setback at Brooklyn, which featured an NBA-high 28 turnovers by Philadelphia, was a rather alarming result for a team hoping to be among the elites in the Eastern Conference. “To win on the road, you better not turn it over at the rate we’ve been turning it over,” coach Brett Brown told reporters. “You better have an incredible focus on rebounding. Historically, those are the tenets of road wins — caring for the ball and finishing plays with rebounds. … I think that togetherness, that toughness, that ability to take punches and come out together on the other side, that is part of growth. We don’t have that right now.” The Pacers won three straight by a total of nine points before suffering a 98-94 loss to Houston on Monday in the second of three straight at home. Victor Oladipo scored 28 points in the defeat to record his NBA-leading 10th straight game with at least 20 points

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Indiana

ABOUT THE 76ERS (6-5): Ben Simmons scored 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the loss to the Nets but he had five turnovers and has given the ball up 16 times over his last two road games. Joel Embiid added 16 points and 15 rebounds while missing his only 3-point attempt, part of a 4-for-20 showing from beyond the arc for Philadelphia. “The coaches don’t control us making shots and they don’t control us turning the ball over,” Embiid told the media. “That’s none of their fault. At times we can all do a better job as far as controlling the game. I don’t think it’s none of their fault; it’s on the players. We’re the ones that go out there and we have a game plan, and we should just follow it and trust it.”

ABOUT THE PACERS (7-4): Indiana is attempting an average of 85 shots a game — fewest in the East — and a few more scoring chances might make the difference in close games like Monday’s loss, but the team is not prepared to force anything. “We don’t want to just get into a run-and-gun game and make it a shootout,” coach Nate McMillan told reporters after the loss to the Rockets. “If we have something early (in the possession), we’ll take it. If not we want to make them defend it.” It helps that the team ranks fifth overall in field-goal percentage (48.9), led by a 68.4 percent showing by forward Domantas Sabonis.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers PG Cory Joseph has one point while missing all nine of his shots from the floor over the last two games.

2. Sixers SG JJ Redick is shooting 31.3 percent from 3-point range on the road, compared to 44.7 percent at home.

3. Indiana has won eight straight meetings at home.

PREDICTION: Pacers 112, 76ers 106

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HOUSTON ROCKETS vs INDIANA PACERS
When: 7:00 PM  ET, Monday, November 5, 2018
Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

TV: 7:05 PM
LINE: 1
PREDICTION: INDIANA , HOUSTON

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as 1 point favorites versus the HOUSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 213.

The Houston Rockets are slowly turning things around with wins in back-to-back games as the roles are becoming more defined. The Rockets will try to make it three straight when they visit the red-hot Indiana Pacers on Monday.

Houston kept former All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony in a reserve role and welcomed MVP James Harden (hamstring) back to the lineup following a three-game absence on Saturday, and both players looked comfortable while combining for 42 points in the 96-88 win at Chicago. “Once we get guys into rotations and comfortable, the sky’s the limit for us,” Harden told reporters of the Rockets, who are also working small forward James Ennis into the flow while waiting for shooting guard Eric Gordon (leg) to return. The Pacers pulled out close wins in each of the last three games and swept a back-to-back when All-Star guard Victor Oladipo buried a 3-pointer in the final seconds on Saturday to down the Boston Celtics 102-101. “I told our guys we want to go out there and play like we believe we can win this game,” Indiana coach Nate McMillan told reporters. “The Celtics are a very good team, a lot of talent over there. We’re not going to make excuses for the schedule. This was a tough back-to-back, and all I asked our guys to do was play like you believe you can win this game. And they did.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston), FS Indiana

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (3-5): Houston’s two-game winning streak corresponds with an uptick in accuracy from Anthony, who is 17-of-26 from the floor in the two victories after a 2-of-12 performance in a 104-85 loss to Portland on Tuesday. The steadying force in the Houston rotation is center Clint Capela, who collected 12 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday for his fifth consecutive double-double. The 24-year-old is averaging 15.3 points and 11.5 rebounds while recording multiple blocks in five of the last six contests.

ABOUT THE PACERS (7-3): Oladipo scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter on Saturday, including the go-ahead 3-pointer. “I was just trying to get to any spot and win the game,” Oladipo told reporters. “Get to my spot wherever I could get a shot off and win the game. I saw the clock going down and I just felt like I could get to that spot and I shot it with confidence.” Oladipo is averaging 22.5 points and 7.3 rebounds and recorded a double-double in each of the last two contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Harden committed eight of the team’s 19 turnovers on Saturday.

2. Indiana PF Domantas Sabonis is averaging 13.6 points on 67.1 percent shooting.

3. Houston took the two meetings last season by an average of 22 points.

PREDICTION: Pacers 109, Rockets 103

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INDIANA PACERS vs CHICAGO BULLS
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Friday, November 2, 2018
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: 7
PREDICTION: CHICAGO , INDIANA

Oddsmakers currently have the CHICAGO listed as 7 point favorites versus the INDIANA, while the game’s total is sitting at 215.

The Indiana Pacers are finding different ways to score and bounced back from a loss by leaning on the bench. The Pacers will try to coax another stellar performance from Domantas Sabonis and company and sweep the two-game road trip when they visit the New York Knicks on Friday.

Indiana shot 54.2 percent from the floor in Wednesday’s 107-101 win at the New York Knicks, led by Sabonis’ 30 points on 12-of-12 shooting in 21 minutes. “I thought (Sabonis) was really good the time he was out there tonight,” Pacers coach Nate McMillan told reporters. “He got into foul trouble, and only played seven minutes in first half. In second half, he continued to be aggressive and make plays for us.” Sabonis could have his hands full at the other end of the floor on Friday with Bulls rookie power forward Wendell Carter Jr., who scored a season-high 25 points and doubled his career 3-pointer total with two in a 108-107 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. “We’re eight games in now,” Chicago guard Zach LaVine told reporters of Carter. “I want to see what he looks like at 80. It’s going to be nice.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Indiana, NBCS Chicago

ABOUT THE PACERS (5-3): Indiana star Victor Oladipo knocked down a pair of 3-pointers late to spark the team to victory on Wednesday and is making opposing coaches shake their heads. “That’s what All-Stars do,” Knicks coach David Fizdale told reporters of Oladipo. “We couldn’t get to him for whatever reason. On our traps we couldn’t get him trapped. Once a guy like that hits a couple he is going to get it going.” Oladipo ended up 10-of-18 from the floor while playing through an illness, bouncing back from a 9-of-24 performance in a home loss to Portland on Monday.
ABOUT THE BULLS (2-6): Chicago looked like a different team in Wednesday’s loss than the club that allowed 92 first-half points in a 149-124 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, but the result was still the same. “We have to learn how to win,” LaVine told reporters. “It was a bounce-back (game) in terms of our fight. It still sucks. You play such a good game. You want that result.” LaVine scored 28 points in Wednesday’s setback and scored 20 or more in each of the first eight games for an average of 28.1.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bulls PF Jabari Parker made his first start of the season on Wednesday and was held to a season-low six points on 3-of-10 shooting in 36 minutes.

2. Pacers PF Thaddeus Young recorded season highs of 10 rebounds, five steals and three blocks on Wednesday.

3. Indiana took three of the four meetings last season and four of the last five in the series.

PREDICTION: Pacers 116, Bulls 109

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INDIANA PACERS vs NEW YORK KNICKS
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: 5.5
PREDICTION: NEW YORK , INDIANA

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW YORK listed as 5.5 point favorites versus the INDIANA, while the game’s total is sitting at 210.5.

The Indiana Pacers are trying to build some consistency on offense and stumbled at home in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. The Pacers will try to bounce back and move the ball more when they begin a two-game trip by visiting the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

Indiana averaged 117.5 points in wins at San Antonio and Cleveland last week but was held to 41.1 percent shooting in a 103-93 home loss to the Trail Blazers. “You’re playing against a really good defensive team and they’re making you move with their actions,” Pacers point guard Darren Collison told reporters. “We’re getting there, we’re starting to become a really good offensive team and (coach) Nate (McMillan) has done a good job telling us to continue to move the ball. We just missed some easy shots, sometimes nights are going to be like that and it just wasn’t our night.” The Knicks are trying to build a winning culture with a young team and snapped a five-game slide with a 115-96 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. “Just to keep your guys encouraged that’s what they’re doing, there’s some fruits to that labor — you want them to feel that joy of victory,” New York coach David Fizdale told reporters. “For me, it’s just relief. But you want them to see that all the hard work they’re putting in is turning into something for them. We understand that this league is going to be unforgiving to us, but we want to try to get every win we can.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Indiana, MSG (New York)

ABOUT THE PACERS (4-3): All-Star guard Victor Oladipo collected 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on Monday but was 9-of-24 from the floor after going a combined 17-of-27 at San Antonio and Cleveland. “We just missed shots,” Oladipo told reporters. “Even our open looks, we missed them. Just a tough night offensively.” The exception to that rule was Collison, who went 8-of-14 from the floor en route to a season-high 17 points and is 13-of-22 in the last two contests after shooting 3-of-13 in the previous two games.

ABOUT THE KNICKS (2-5): Shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds on Monday and is impressing his coach with his growth. “I’m proud of him,” Fizdale told reporters of Hardaway. “He knows that this year is going to be an up and down year for us, a growing year. But his growth and what he’s trying to take to heart is, how do I become a star? How do I become a go-to guy? What’s the next step? What is the responsibility for that? That’s why I’m really on him about defending. I think you can see he’s competing.” Hardaway, 26, is averaging 24.4 points after putting up 17.5 in his first season with New York last year.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pacers PF Domantas Sabonis is 15-of-21 from the field in the last three games.

2. Knicks C Enes Kanter recorded his fifth double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds on Monday.

3. Indiana is looking for its first win at New York since April 3, 2016.

PREDICTION: Pacers 112, Knicks 105

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