Indiana at Golden State
Time: 9:30 PM CT (NBA LP)
Spread: IND -6
Total: 201
Odds c/o 5dimes
Indiana Notes:
The Indiana Pacers meanwhile have been the surprise team of the Eastern Conference thus far, and one need look no further than the breakout season of guard Victor Oladipo to determine why. Indy also has gone 6-4 over its past 10 games, but should continue to maintain about a .500 record and make its way into a lower seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Currently, Indy is seeded No. 5 and would face the Philadelphia 76ers if the postseason began today.
Truthfully, no one expected the Pacers to be this “Decent,” and the team could be better still if Myles Turner eventually realizes the star power he possesses and begins to take more shots.
Instead thus far, it has been Oladipo and his 23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game that lead the team.
Oladipo has a PER of 23.3, and finally seems to have realize the true value of the three-point shot. Once so highly dependent on the mid-range game, Oladipo has adapted to this era of NBA basketball and is attempting six threes per night at a 37 percent clip. Turner is taking just 10.1 shot attempts per night though in his 29 minutes a game, and his biggest impact has been his rim protection, as Turner averages a stellar1.96 blocks per game thus far.
Not to be forgotten in the mix has been the strong play of sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic. The new acquisition seemingly could fit on every team, as shooters tend to, but Bogdanovic has averaged 14.4 points per game while shooting 39.6 percent from three on 4.8 attempts per night. Darren Collison is a clear downgrade from George Hill, but has done as well as possibly could have been expected in posting 12.8 points and 5.2 assists in 30 minutes a night. Rounding out the Pacers’ rotation is center Domantas Sabonis, stretch-4 Thaddeus Young and a resurgent Lance Stevenson. Stephenson has been a valuable contributor off the bench averaging 9.2 points and 0.59 steals in 23 minutes a night.
Sabonis came with Oladipo in the trade that sent Paul George to OKC, and he has proven to be much better as an interior player than the stretch-4 he functioned as during his rookie season last year. Young is good for nearly 12 points per game and keeps power forwards away form the basket. The Pacers simply are a much better constructed team than we initially credited them for entering this season, but no one expected Oladipo to go from being a middling starter to an All-Star in one offseason either.
What a difference coaching and play style makes, because Oladipo has always possessed the sheer talent to be this good, as a No. 2 overall pick who wasted his first several seasons with poor coaching in an Orlando Magic uniform.
Golden State notes:
The Warriors most recently pummeled Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns, 124-109. Prior to that, it somehow fell to the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors have lost three of its past five, but are 53-17 and currently second place in the Western Conference. The Warriors are banged up and announced Stephen Curry will miss the first round of the playoffs. That could spell trouble.
The Warriors could have sought to improve at the trade deadline, but instead with the “do not fix what has not broken” adage is active in not engaging at the deadline. Instead, the team moves forward with its four All-Stars, and two MVPs, as the prohibitive NBA Finals favorite for the fourth straight season (albeit only two of the previous three resulted in a title!). The Warriors have strung together the most dominant three-run season stretch in NBA history, per wins only, and the fact that the front office realized there is no tinkering with something already balanced was a mature and wise decision overall.
The injured Stephen Curry is leading the team in scoring this year with 26.8 points per game, to go with his 5.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.62 steals per night. Durant trails him at 26 points per game, but Durant is really close to having a 50/40/90 season, as he is shooting 51 percent from the floor, 42 percent from three and 89 percent at the line. Thompson, too, is close to that precipice but falls shorter at the charity stripe where he is just 86 percent.
Draymond Green is only attempting nine field goals per game, but he leads the team in assists with 7.3 per game, and he is vital in defending a myriad of switched pick and rolls on defense, having the foot speed and agility to switch out onto guards and defend them in the isolation that follows.
Green is one of the best defenders to come through the league in recent seasons, and his stellar ability to disrupt sets is one of the reasons why the Warriors are such a strong defensive team overall. He keeps the defensive lineup active and fast, rather than slowing it down with a traditional 5. Green, of course, starts at center, but he has a lot of positionless traits as an NBA player, and perhaps the league has not seen such a physical specimen with such grace since the late Anthony Mason. Indeed, they are similar type players. Green will need to step up his offense in the first round of the playoffs.
