Once Upon A Time in America Betting Show

This Saturday, the (21-16) Los Angeles Clippers will travel to Indianapolis, IN to take on the (19-17) Indiana Pacers. Tipoff will be at 3:00 PM EST inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This will be the final time that these two teams play this regular season, as the Clippers walked away with a 114-100 win the last time they matched up.

The Clippers are coming into this one after falling to the Boston Celtics, 116-110. They struggled on the offensive end of the court, as they couldn’t make enough shots to stay competitive in that game. They will have to be more consistent in this one if they want to challenge the Pacers on the road.

Indiana is entering this game after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 135-126. They looked awesome on both ends of the court, as they will have to carry that momentum over into this one if they want to challenge the Clippers at home.

This game was written/published before last night’s results.

Are the Clippers Going to Rally?
The Los Angeles Clippers are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, as they are still 2.5 games back from the first-place Pelicans. On offense, they are scoring 109.2 points per game and they are shooting 46.5% from the floor. This is the second least amount of points scored per game and the 21st-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Clippers have an adjusted offensive rating of 109.2, which is the second-lowest rating in the NBA. Paul George continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 23.7 points per game on 45% shooting from the floor. Los Angeles has also shown that they can score from anywhere on the floor. They are shooting 37.2% from behind the arc, which is the ninth-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. Unfortunately, they have struggled at the charity stripe. The Clippers have only shot 75.5% from the line, which is the 24th-highest free-throw shooting percentage. They can’t continue to miss out on these free looks at the rim if they want to stay competitive in this game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Clippers have been one of the toughest teams to consistently score on. They are currently allowing 108.8 points per game and they have held their opponents to 45.5% shooting from the field. This is the third least amount of points given up per contest and the third lowest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Clippers have an adjusted defensive rating of 110.1, which is the fifth-lowest rating in the NBA. Los Angeles has also shown that they will contest shots near the rim and on the outside. They have forced their opponents to shoot 33.9% from behind the arc, which is the fourth-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed in the league. The Clippers have also snatched 44.4 rebounds per game, which is the ninth most.

Injury Report: No Injuries listed.

Are the Pacers For Real?
The Indiana Pacers are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are seven games back from the first-place Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 114.9 points per game and they are shooting 46.1% from the floor. This is the 11th most points scored per game and the 23rd-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Pacers have an adjusted offensive rating of 113.4, which is the 14th-highest rating in the NBA. Tyrese Haliburton continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the court, as he is scoring 20.8 points per game and averaging 10.2 assists. Indiana has also shown that they have multiple players that can make it rain from behind the arc. They are shooting 37.3% from deep, which is the eighth-highest three-point shooting percentage. Indiana has also taken care of business at the charity stripe, as they have shot 79% from the line. This is the 13th-highest free-throw shooting percentage in the league, as they can’t afford to miss out on these easy points.

On the defensive end of the court, the Pacers are surrendering 115.4 points per game and they have allowed their opponents to shoot 46.6% from the floor. This is the 20th most points allowed per game, but the 13th-lowest shooting percentage surrendered from the field. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Pacers have an adjusted defensive rating of 113.9, which is the 20th lowest rating in the NBA. The Pacers have also shown that they will contest shots near the rim. Unfortunately, they haven’t challenged as many shots from the outside. They are allowing their opponents to shoot 36.4% from deep, which is the 22nd-lowest percentage allowed in the league. Indiana is also grabbing 41.9 rebounds per game, which is the 26th most. They have to crash the offensive and defensive glass if they want to challenge the Clippers at home.

Injury Report: Daniel Theis C (Knee) is out and Chris Duarte SG (Head) is questionable.