Filip Tomic
NBA fans in Europe get another treat on Saturday, when the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs clash in Paris. A total of 250 points were scored in the first meeting a couple of days ago, so this promises another thrilling game. I have a +523 Same Game Parlay; continue reading below to see it.
We also have predictions on the side and total on our NBA Picks page for Saturday’s action, but now let’s dive into my SGP!
Pacers -2 (-110)
Victor Wembanyama to score 30+ points (+120)
Myles Turner 2+ made threes (-195)
Same Game Parlay odds: +523
Pacers -2 (-110)
For the 2nd game in a row it’ll be the Pacers and Spurs clashing off in Paris as they warp up their regular-season series. Indy got crushed 140-110 on Thursday following a disastrous second half in which they allowed 80 points. There was absolutely no defensive resistance from the Pacers in that game, as they allowed San Antonio to shoot 60% from the field and lost the rebounding battle 57 to 31. Head coach Rick Carlisle will surely address all those issues here and the Pacers will make adjustments. However, will that be enough to turn things around?
The 43 assists recorded in Thursday’s game was the most the Spurs have had in this millennium. As good as the Spurs were in that win, it’s hard to imagine the Pacers will allow them to shoot over 60% in back-to-back games. That win was San Antonio’s second in 8 games; they have also covered only twice during this stretch. We need a response from Indiana here. Losing that game by 30 was not a good look, especially for a team that has gone 8-2 ATS/SU in the last 10 games. San Antonio impressed with 18 triples made on 36 attempts, but logic suggests they will cool off. They rank just 23rd in 3-point efficiency and 18th in field-goal percentage. I’m backing the Pacers to even out the regular-season series.
Read our full Indiana Pacers vs San Antonio Spurs prediction
Victor Wembanyama to score 30+ points (+120)
Wemby stole the show in his homecoming on Thursday with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks. Playing in front of a packed arena in Paris, France should get the best out of him for the 2nd game in a row. Indiana has had a lot of problems guarding the inside the season – they rank just 26th in the NBA in points allowed in the painted area at 50.4 per game. San Antonio abused them on Thursday by scoring 66 points down low. Wembanyama can do damage from the outside, as well; he is shooting the three-ball at 33.7% in his last 10 games at a very high volume of 8.3 attempts per game. He’s had 3 games of 4 made triples during this stretch, while only one time he failed to make multiple threes in a game. He has faced the Pacers 3 times in his career; in the last 2 meetings he scored 30 and 31 points. For a bet that has cashed twice in 3 meetings, a price of +120 is just too good to pass up.
Myles Turner 2+ made threes (-195)
Turner has stepped up his production from the perimeter over the past 10 games, shooting better than 40%. Just a couple of games ago he exploded for 8 3-pointers on 11 attempts in the game against Detroit. He has made it a priority for himself to drain a pair of 3s every single night. He did so on Thursday, going 2-for-9 — that was the 3rd game in a row he has cleared this line. Only twice in his last 10 games has he failed to deliver 2 made 3s, so I’m liking our odds for this bet to land yet again. San Antonio has fallen off a bit when it comes to guarding the 3-ball; opponents have made 41.7% of their attempts against them in the last 3 games. I’m expecting yet another high-paced contest, similar to the one we saw 2 days ago with a combined 250 points scored between the 2 teams. For a player who is averaging 17 points per game over his last 10 outings, I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a couple of triples.
