The Indiana Pacers continue to prove lucrative for those betting on the juice, winning Game Three of the NBA Finals 116-107 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers were betting underdogs at the beginning of each series, per For The Win. They now find themselves up two games to one in the NBA Finals, a series in which the team was initially listed as +500 betting underdogs, the largest since the Cavaliers got swept by the Warriors in 2018. The Thunder may have superior talent, often winning dominantly, but they are losing to a better team, something that rings true for all of Indiana’s opponents this postseason.
Of course, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the most dangerous player on the court at any time, but he also carries the weight of the team’s offense most nights. If his stats aren’t up to his MVP potential, the Pacers are proving cohesive enough to prove the doubters wrong. Game Three is a proof of concept. SGA scored 24 points with eight rebounds, which, for most, is a great game; however, Oklahoma City relies more heavily on the Canadian, who led the team with six turnovers.
Beating further odds, the Pacers have proven to have better team defense. Their team defensive rating is listed at 113.5, while Oklahoma City’s is 105.7. Further proving the point, Indiana is winning in the turnovers, or points conceded off turnovers, in all three games thus far.
Proving their commitment to team basketball, the Pacers have a +7 assist advantage over OKC, per the NBA. The underdogs are using well-rounded scoring. While Oklahoma is averaging two players making up 46.5% of their points in the series, no two players on the other side total more than 32.3%. If one player is having an off night, there are more options to pick up the slack.
The Pacers continue to defy the odds and entertain NBA fans in many ways, including multiple unbelievable comebacks. The Thunder need a solution for the Pacers’ defense, having only solved it in Game Two. DraftKings has the underdogs still paying +190 for the series win. It’s time to stop sleeping on Indiana. The team with the MVP is losing to a team that had no All-Stars in the initial selection.
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