The NBA is back and the Pacers are right in the mix.
It’s been a long road back since the league shut down in March.
The team’s first bout will come against the Philadelphia 76ers on Aug. 1. By the time that game starts, it will have been 142 days since Indy’s last game. The typical NBA offseason is only 136 days.
Regardless of the extra time off, a lot has changed for the team over the past few months. Injuries have been a big factor in Indy’s odds.
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Indiana Pacers odds for the NBA’s Return
Despite having nearly identical records as the Miami Heat and 76ers, the Pacers’ title odds aren’t nearly as bright. Right now, the Pacers and 76ers have 39 wins each, compared to Miami’s 41.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Indiana at +10,000 to take home the Larry O’Brien trophy this year. Miami is at +3,000, with Philly having the best odds out of the three at +2,000.
So why do the Pacers have drastically worse odds compared to similar teams?
It basically comes down to injuries.
For starters, Domantas Sabonis might not end up playing in Orlando. The team’s only all-star was originally nursing a case of plantar fasciitis, but as it turns out, the the injury is more serious than it originally appeared.
Indiana's Domantas Sabonis has a signficant foot injury and will leave the Orlando bubble to seek treatment from a specialist, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 24, 2020
Furthermore, Victor Oladipo’s future is still in doubt.
Oladipo had ruled out playing in Orlando at first, but that might be changing. He hasn’t made a final decision yet on if he’ll be a part of the NBA’s bubble restart, but he’ll be announcing his plans before the team’s first game on Aug. 1.
Since Oladipo and Sabonis are the team’s best two players, their health obviously has a huge impact on the Pacers’ odds.
Until we know for sure if either of them are going to play this summer, the team’s odds will continue to lag behind the rest of the pack while they fight for playoff position.
However, even if Pacers betting isn’t particularly tempting right now, Indiana’s online sportsbooks are still pumping out great promotions for the rest of the league.
DraftKings and NBA opening weekend
The DraftKings mobile app has a great offer out there for the first few days of the NBA’s return.
If you bet $20 on any NBA team on July 31 or Aug. 1, DraftKings will give you 5/1 odds. So in other words, that $20 moneyline wager will win you $100 if the team you pick wins their game.
That’s a great value for fans wanting to get back into the world of sports betting.
For that promo, a lot of the money is going towards the -275 Phoenix Suns. The Suns are the biggest favorite left out of the remaining games on the slate.
There’s also a point insurance promo on the board for NBA bettors. If the team you pick scores 110 or more points, but loses the game, DraftKings will refund your bet up to $25.
FanDuel and Indiana Pacers betting
FanDuel Sportsbook already got off to a hot start for the first day of NBA betting.
The sportsbook ran its “Spread The Love” promotion for the first time in months, and over 140,000 bettors got to cash in.
The promo moved the Lakers’ spread one point in the gamblers’ favor for every 2,500 people who bet on it. The Lakers started as -4 favorites, but so many people bet on the game that it shot up to +52 by the time things had finished.
It was basically free money for everyone.
The last time the sportsbook ran the promo, Indiana residents had the chance to bet on an IU Basketball game. That spread ended up finishing at +118.5, which was so ridiculous that FanDuel paid out every gambler halfway through the game.
“Spread The Love” may be over for now, but FanDuel still has more NBA promos out there. That includes one that’s specific to the Pacers.
FanDuel’s “NBA Win Bonus” promo will be giving Pacers bettors some extra cash.
If you place a $50 moneyline bet on the team’s first game, you’ll win an extra $3 for every point that your team ends up winning by. That goes for either team, so if you think the Sixers will beat the Pacers, this promo still works.
PointsBet’s Pacers crowd booster
PointsBet is running its own special for Indiana’s first game.
It may go by a different name, but PointsBet’s “Crowd Booster” is identical to FanDuel’s “Spread the Love.”
For every 100 people who bet on the Pacers, the spread moves in everyone’s favor. With 28 hours left until tipoff, the spread had already moved from +4.5 up to +21.
That’s already a great value for gamblers, and it’ll likely continue to get more and more ridiculous leading up to the game.
PointsBet also has some extra-beefed-up odds for spread bettors. Bettors can grab a +100 payout for any spread bet on an NBA regular season game.
So for example, if the Magic’s spread for a game is -7, and the payout is at -105, PointsBet will boost that payout up to +100 odds. You can use the promo to increase your winnings on any team, including the Pacers.
But regardless of the team you’re betting on, there are plenty of options out there. Online sportsbooks are adding new promos all the time, so shop around at your favorite ones to get a full view of what’s available.
