NBA Sports Betting Pacers @ Nuggets

BetUS NBA Basketball Betting Odds: DENVER -8, Total 222.5

Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* IND has covered two of its last six games

* IND has lost 16 of its last 23 games SU

* IND has played five of its last six games OVER the total

* IND has covered four of its last six road games

* IND has lost 13 of its last 18 road games SU

* IND has played four of its last six road games OVER the total

* DEN has won five of its last six games SU

* DEN has played its last six games OVER the total

* DEN has won five of its last six home games SU

* DEN has played nine of its last 12 home games OVER the total

Also...

* DEN has won and covered seven of the last eight meetings

* Four of the last five meetings have gone OVER the total

* DEN has won and covered four of the last six meetings as the home team

* Four of the last five meetings in Denver have gone OVER the total

* DEN has had the shooting edge in seven of the last eight meetings

* IND has had the rebounding edge in four of the last five meetings

* DEN has made more three-pointers in four of the last five meetings

The Pacers play a very up-tempo game that sometimes leads them into difficulties at the defensive end of the floor. The truth is, they play very little defense and though that is not necessarily reflected in the amount of points they give up (104.9 a game), they are allowing almost 46% shooting. Mike Dunleavy, who isn't necessarily a practitioner of defense, is going to be back in the lineup for the first time as he is rehabilitating from a knee injury. Fortunately for coach Jim O'Brien, he's got a guy who has picked up a lot of the scoring slack. Danny Granger deserves to be in the All-Star Game. The 6'9" forward is averaging 25 points a game, and he has been by far the team's most consistent performer, scoring less than 20 points in only four of his starts this season.

The Pacers have scored at least 100 points in each of their last six games, and on Saturday night they took care of business against the Sacramento Kings, shooting 50% from the floor and out-rebounding the Kings by ten in a 122-117 win, although they did not cover the pointspread. Granger had 35 points in that one.

As they head to Denver, Indiana could find itself without T.J., Ford, the talented point guard who suffered an abdominal strain in the game against Sacramento. Ford is averaging a little over five assists per game and 13.8 points. Jarrett Jack, the Georgia Tech product who had 29 points in Friday's win over the Knicks, is poised to start if Ford can't go, but the Pacers will lose something in the playmaking department if that happens.

Nene, the undersized Brazilian center who battled cancer last season and has stepped in for Marcus Camby this year, has been a very steady presence for the Nuggets. Nene, who leads the NBA in field goal percentage, has made 23 of his 32 shots over the last three games (72%), and drawing a bead on the league's Comeback player of the Year. Carmelo Anthony's scoring figures have been down, although he did hit for more than 30 points twice over the last week. Chris Andersen, a 30-year-old out of Blinn College, has been an unlikely contributor, blocking two shots a game despite only 18 minutes of playing time.