The Indiana Pacers surprised everyone last season. Not only did they blow their regular season expected win total odds out of the water, but they succeeded in the NBA playoffs as well. The Pacers ended a three-season playoff drought with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The competition on the Indiana Pacers schedule has improved, and Indiana stood pat this offseason. This 2024-2025 NBA preview will look at the Indiana Pacers odds and see if they can exceed their projected win total this season.
2024-25 NBA Betting: How Many Games Will The Pacers Win?
*All Indiana Pacers odds are courtesy of FanDuel.com*
Defying Expectations and Pacers Odds
The Indiana Pacers odds were too low last season. Before the season, oddsmakers projected their win total at 38.5 and their chances of making the playoffs at +120. The Pacers won 47 games and were four wins away from winning the East (their preseason odds to come out of the East were +12500).
the two best playmakers call Indiana home.
Tyrese Haliburton and Caitlin Clark are taking over
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— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) September 16, 2024
The highlight of the Pacers season was both the continued rise to stardom of Tyrese Haliburton as well as a pivotal trade that landed them Pascal Siakam. The Pacers ended the season with the second-highest offensive rating of all time. This season, they need to sustain their offensive potency and improve on their defense if they want to exceed their projected win total.
Limited Offseason Changes
The Indiana Pacers roster will look almost identical to last year’s. They didn’t make any significant offseason pickups, and Jalen Smith was the only relevant departure. Continuity can breed success, but their Eastern Conference rivals all loaded up on talent. The Sixers picked up Paul George, the Knicks traded for Mikal Bridges, and teams like the Magic are only improving with age.
“They feel a little slighted. They hear people talk about us like they kind of look past what we accomplished last season.”
Chad Buchanan on the team’s mentality as they prepare for training camp
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— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) September 24, 2024
The Pacers roster will go as far as Haliburton can take them. Although after joining the team, Siakam led them in scoring, Haliburton is the engine that carries the Pacers elite offense. Siakam will be a key force as well, especially defensively. Betting on the Pacers odds is for those confident in Haliburton and Siakam’s improvement. Young pieces like Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard will also need to step up for the Pacers to reach their highest potential.
Indiana Pacers Odds
This season, the Pacers are projected to win 47.5 games, with -122 juice on the under. After adding Siakam last season, they won at a 46-win pace, so oddsmakers are not expecting a large improvement from last season. With other Eastern Conference teams making significant offseason moves, there’s reason to believe Indiana may struggle to replicate last season’s success. A slight regression could be in store, but there is also reason to believe the Pacers roster could continue to gel and build upon last season’s success.
The Pacers haven’t won 48 regular season games since the 2018-2019 season. The Eastern Conference is as competitive as it’s been in a long time, but the Pacers have a younger and healthy roster. Don’t expect the same postseason success, but improving upon their win total from last season is possible. Taking the over is a bet on the young core of Indiana continuing improvement, as well as a full season of Siakam adding some extra wins.
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