The Indiana Pacers are looking to make their win at Toronto count for something when they take on the Raptors for Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs. As the #7 underdogs in the Eastern Conference, stealing the first game of the series took away the home court advantage, leaving the Raptors contemplating their inability of winning post season games. Toronto took game 2, and restored some sort of balance, but the damage was done. Now the series move to Indiana, where the Pacers are playing some good basketball, and with the possibility of gaining a good lead before moving the series back to Canada.
At the start of the series the odds favored the Raptors heavily, and of course, they were the overall favorites for game one. After a sloppy first quarter, the Indiana Pacers managed to really apply the pressure and shift the line and move it to more tight odds. Currently, Toronto are now the -255 favorites at NBA Playoffs bets, quite a difference to when they were the -675 at the very beginning of the series. They still have the possibility of having the series close out at home, and on paper they are considered the better team. But, their performance on game 2 was good, but not good enough considering the fact that they were to beat Indiana with much less trouble.
The Pacers, on the other hand, reach game 3 of the NBA Playoffs as slight +1½ underdogs at their home game. However they are no pushovers, and they have the Raptors just where they want them, looking to get their win back and make even on the series balance. At home the Pacers keep a 26-15 record, which is pretty good on their own right. Some of the Pacers’ best games of the current season occurred at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Arena. But the Raptors on away games, march in like Rick James with muddy cowboy boots and well… you know the rest (eff yo’ couch!). The Raptors have a 24-17 away record, tied with the Cavaliers as the best in the Easter Conference, and tied for third in the entire league with the aforementioned Cleveland, and the L.A. Clippers.
Basically, what you can deduct from the stats is that game 3 is going to be very interesting. The money line has the Raptors with -122 odds, and the Pacers with +102. This game will be close and perhaps even a low scoring affair. Indiana will rely a lot on what Paul George might do and the Raptors had to seek assistance from the bench and unexpected places, because Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have been ice cold. This might be a game that could slip away from the Raptors hands and, with a blink of an eye; the series might turn on them and put the pressure for game 4.
This is what the NBA Playoffs are all about. Excitement and plenty of it. This game will be won by the Pacers 97-86