I am in love with the plus money price here as much as anything else. But I can also tell you that the seats are going to fill up in Mexico City to see a rock fight either. Offense is all but compulsory in this affair. A total of 228.5 looks awfully conventional, particularly when you consider the offensive weapons at Denver's disposal. The Nuggets have Nikola Jokic orchestrating proceedings, and as we know when he is operating at his best, the Nuggets can score in a multitude of ways. Just ask Toronto, a defensive-minded bunch which surrendered 128 points to Denver in its latest outing. Jokic finished with 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in just three quarters. That's the sort of offensive efficiency that gets my attention against the Pacers, who rank 17th in scoring defense (114.2 ppg).
Meanwhile, Indiana has plenty of scoring potential in its own right, even if it hasn't consistently demonstrated it this season. Indy may not have Haliburton or O'Connell available, but it still has Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith -- who can all contribute and give you 20 points on a given night. The Pacers will get plenty of looks, too, as the Nuggets sit 25th in field goals made (42.3) and 24th in field-goal attempts (90.3). That is another mitigating factor. I see a game with considerably more scoring potential than this relatively modest total suggests. At a +113 price, the Over is worth the plunge.
Nuggets vs Pacers prediction: Over 228.5 (+113) available at time of publishing. Playable to 229.
