Charlotte Hornets at Indiana Pacers - 5/18/21 NBA Picks and Prediction

Indiana Pacers (34-38) vs Charlotte Hornets (33-39)

Game Info: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 6:30 pm (Bankers Life Fieldhouse)

Betting Odds: Indiana Pacers -3 -- Over/Under: 229 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Charlotte Hornets travel to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to battle the Indiana Pacers in a play-in game on Tuesday night.

The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the most exciting teams to watch this season, but they’ve stumbled their way into the postseason with six losses in their last seven games to find themselves in a play-in game. In a season littered with injuries, Terry Rozier led the team in scoring with averages of 20.4 points and 4.2 assists per game, Devonte’ Graham averaged 14.8 points and 5.4 assists per game while LaMelo Ball put the league on notice with averages of 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. As a team, the Hornets scored an average of 109.5 points while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from the 3-point line. Gordon Hayward averaged 19.6 points and 4.1 assists per game but will miss this game with a foot injury.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers have been in slightly better shape as they’ve won four of their last seven games of the regular season. Malcolm Brogdon has struggled with injuries this season, but he has led the way with averages of 21.2 points and 5.9 assists per game, Caris LeVert recovered from his health scare and joined the team late to average 20.7 points and 4.9 assists per game while Domantas Sabonis has been the rock for the Pacers with averages of 20.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. As a team, the Pacers scored an average of 115.3 points per game, while shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from the 3-point line.

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Looking at the betting trends, the Hornets are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games, 24-10-1 ATS in their last 35 games against a team with a losing record and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games as a road underdog. The Pacers are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games, 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a losing record and 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games overall.

Head to head, the under is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings overall and the Hornets are 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings in Indiana.

Sabonis and Holiday are currently listed as questionable for Tuesday, Brogdon is questionable and a game-time decision while Jeremy Lamb has been ruled out, so the Pacers could be severely shorthanded here. The Hornets have their own issues as Hayward and Cody Martin are both still out, but they would seem to have the better starting lineup if the Pacers’ Sabonis is unable to suit up. It’s always touch to pick games with so many players listed as questionable, but I just feel this game is too important to rest Sabonis if he has a chance of playing. With that being said, I'm sticking with the Pacers to get the job done at home in this one.

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