Posted on
1/24/2008 2:19:02 PM
NBA Basketball Betting – Indiana at Milwaukee
By Charles Jay
The Indiana Pacers (19-24 SU, 21-20-1 ATS), coming off a double-digit loss on Wednesday night, travel to the Bradley Center on Thursday night to face the Milwaukee Bucks (16-26 SU, 18-23-1 ATS) in NBA action slated to begin at 8 PM ET.
In the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds, the Bucks are listed at -5, with the total posted at 208.5 points.
In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA betting trends:
* IND has covered five of the last seven meetings
* IND has won six of the last seven meetings SU
* Three of the last four meetings have gone OVER the total
* IND has had the shooting edge in eight of the last ten meetings
* IND has had the rebounding edge in each of the last four meetings
Indiana ranks third in the NBA in rebounding in road games with 44.2 per contest. The Pacers are sixth in the NBA in scoring on the road, with 104.2 ppg. But Indiana has given up the second most points in the NBA - 105.1 points per game. Also:
* IND has won two of its last 11 road games SU
* IND has covered five of its last seven games
* IND has won four of its last 15 games SU
* IND has played four of its last seven games OVER the total
* IND has covered four of its last seven road games
* IND has played 10 of its last 15 road games OVER the total
Milwaukee ranks 22nd in the NBA in scoring with 95.1 points a game. That figure is slightly better at home, where the Bucks have averaged 96.8 ppg. Milwaukee has yielded 47.1% shooting, ranking 29th. Also:
* MIL is 1-4 ATS in its last five games
* MIL has lost six of its last seven games SU
* MIL has played six of its last eight games OVER the total
* MIL has covered two of its last nine home games
* MIL has won 12 of its last 19 home games SU
Some injuries might impact this game. Mo Williams is listed as questionable for Milwaukee with a sprained finger, while Troy Murphy, a rebounder who does not contribute much on the defensive end, has a knee injury for Indiana that might keep him out of tonight's tilt.
Interestingly enough, Indiana is 6-1 ATS in playing the second end of back-to-back games on the road. That would seem unusual for a team that runs up and down the court like the Pacers do in Jim O'Brien's hurry-up style. Even though the Bulls had Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon and Luol Deng missing with injury, Indiana was burned by Kirk Hinrich's career-high 38 points in Chicago's 108-95 win at the United Center last night. That's not a great sign.
But are the signs that much better coming out of Milwaukee, where the Bucks have lost six of their last seven games? Yes, Andrew Bogut has exhibited much improved play, chalking up his seventh straight double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds against Phoenix on Tuesday. But Mo Williams is playing hurt, there has been some flu going around, and the Bucks are not a defensive-minded team, ranking second from the bottom in field goal percentage defense. That makes them vulnerable to teams like Indiana, who look to beat you down the court for the easy shot.
If you look at Milwaukee's game-by-game record, they tend to let the game get away from them against teams who play up-tempo, because the Bucks are much more comfortable slowing things down and getting into a half-court game on both ends of the floor. They have covered just two of the last ten meetings with the Pacers.
And we'll take Indiana over Milwaukee on Thursday night in the BetUS NBA betting odds.
BetUS NBA basketball betting odds: MILWAUKEE -5, Total 208.5
JAY'S PLAY: INDIANA
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(Charles Jay of TotalActionExtra.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)