Magic vs. Pacers Odds & Betting Predictions - November 7, 2024

Read full writeup on X: https://x.com/PicksOffice The Pacers thrive on a fast, high-scoring style, with efficient ball-sharing that keeps defenses off-balance. Orlando’s offense, though lower-scoring, can exploit Indiana’s defensive struggles. Trends favor high totals, as these teams consistently hit overs in their matchups. Indiana’s offensive efficiency combined with defensive lapses suggests a strong potential for a high-scoring game.

The Pacers opened the season with Nembhard taking over more of the distributing duties in the offense. Haliburton worked more in an off-ball capacity than he had last season. The approach led to a team-leading 6 assists on 10 potential assists and 42.5 passes per game for Nembhard over the first 4 games. It also led to a 1-3 record. Nembhard went down with a minor knee injury early against Boston. His absence forced Haliburton back into his role as the most productive distributor in the league. He's posted 11.7 assists on a massive 21.3 potential assists over the past 3 games. Haliburton's passes per game have jumped by more than 20. Nembhard's passing stats have regressed to 2023-24 norms. Mathurin is also in the starting lineup now. With both Mathurin and Haliburton on the court last season, Nembhard's usage declined by 1.6%. His assist rate dropped by 7.7%. With Nesmith out of the picture, Nembhard is now the lowest-usage player in the starting lineup. Orlando is 3rd in defensive rating and 6th in points allowed per game.

Less than 90 points in back to back games

The Magic take on the Pacers as they adjust to life without Paolo Banchero for the time being. One player that sees a significant bump is Jalen Suggs. Over the last two seasons without Paolo, Suggs sees a 6 point increase in scoring per 100 possessions, per pbpstats. Suggs’ rebound floor has been so high this season, averaging 5.4 rebounds to complement 17.6 ppg and 4.4 assists. This is not a matchup I want to target for assists though given the Pacers’ defensive scheme; however, this is a good matchup for him. In Paolo’s 50 point game Suggs still scored 25 points (30 PR) against Indiana a week ago. Last season he had 21 PR in just 17.6 mins in this matchup. Suggs is able to get to his own shots while crashing the glass and I expect him to continue seeing an expanded role without Paolo in a strong matchup against a Pacers team that will be missing Aaron Nesmith.