In basketball gambling news, the Indiana Pacers visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, January 26th at Target Center. Pro basketball lines to be determined here at SBG online sportsbook.
Indiana Pacers Basketball Gambling
The Pacers have lost three games in a row, but forward Paul George wants fans to know that booing “doesn’t help.” Indiana’s lead scorer told the Indy Star “I don’t think booing is the solution.” The Pacers were jeered by the local fans at Bankers Life Fieldhouse when they let a potential home win against the Knicks literally slip out of their hands on Monday. Indiana rallied from a 17-point deficit and pulled within 105-103. Myles Turner turned the ball over right under the Knicks’ basket, missing a golden opportunity to tie the game with 16 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. New York’s Courtney Lee went to the free-throw line twice to put the final 109-103 on the scoreboard.
Stats to Consider
George had 31 points and seven rebounds while Turner had 22 points and 10 rebounds, but that’s not what basketball gambling fans are going to remember about the latter’s performance – worse yet, the Pacers choked under the watchful eyes of Larry Bird and Reggie Miller. Indiana’s lineup has fluctuated as of late. Head coach Nate McMillan hopes to get Rodney Stuckey back on Thursday. The experienced guard has missed more than 20 non-consecutive games due to a strained right hamstring, and could bring some much needed balance to the rotation if cleared to play.
Heart Stopping Statistics
On the flipside of the pro basketball lines, the Wolves won their straight game – a heart-stopping 112-111 win over the Suns on Tuesday. Andrew Wiggins nailed an 18-foot buzzer beater to put Phoenix away at home. Wiggins had 31 points and Karl Anthony-Towns had 18 points and 10 defensive rebounds, while ‘Mean Marvin’ Shabazz Muhammad had 16 points off the bench. Minnesota’s young players’ lack of experience has been cited as the reason for this wolf cubs’ growing pains, but recent performances may be hinting at a growth spurt. The T-Wolves have won nine of their last 20 and six of their last eight, including basketball gambling upsets over the Rockets and the Thunder. Moreover, they seemed to have followed ex-president Obama’s advice to play better D. Minnesota is allowing 100.5 points per game in January, down from 107.5 points per game in December.
For The Win’s Charles Curtis
According to For The Win’s Charles Curtis, Wiggins could very well be the catalyst that helps the Wolves break on through to the other side (and perhaps meet Jim Morrison?). per Curtis’s calculations, Wiggins has averaged 19.5 points per game in the Wolves’ 28 losses and 26.1 ppg in their 17 wins. The bad news is that seven of the Western Conference’s eight playoffs spots are all but RSVP’d by Warriors, Spurs, Rockets, Clippers, Jazz, Thunder and Grizzlies. The good news, at least as pro basketball lines in the immediate future go, is that the Pacers are in the comparatively and relatively less competitive Eastern Conference (and the good news for the Pacers is Minnesota fans are not likely to boo them).