Pacers vs. Nets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Monday, Jan. 6

The Pacers have covered the spread in seven of their last eight road games.

The Pacers have covered the spread in seven of their last eight road games. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers are heavily favored on the road on Monday night against a banged-up Brooklyn Nets team that won’t have Cam Thomas or Cameron Johnson in action tonight.

Brooklyn has started to tank in the 2024-25 season after trading away Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder, and it’s fallen to 13-22 on the season after losing seven of its last 10 games.

Meanwhile, the Pacers are winners of seven of their last eight road games – a massive turnaround from a team that started the campaign as one of the worst road teams in the NBA.

Not only that, but the Pacers are back to .500 on the season and hold the No. 8 seed in the conference ahead of Monday’s matchup.

D’Angelo Russell (questionable) has been up and down for the Nets since coming over in the Finney-Smith deal with the Lakers, but can he and the Nets at least cover as major underdogs tonight?

Let’s break down the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Monday’s contest. 

Pacers vs. Nets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Pacers -10 (-110)
• Nets +10 (-110)

Moneyline

• Pacers: -410
• Nets: +320

Total

• 223 (Over -108/Under -112)

Pacers vs. Nets How to Watch

• Date: Monday, Jan. 6
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Barclays Center
• How to Watch (TV): YES Network, Bally Sports Indiana
• Pacers record: 18-18
• Nets record: 13-22

Pacers vs. Nets Injury Reports

Pacers Injury Report

• RayJ Dennis – out
• Quenton Jackson – doubtful
• Enrique Freeman – doubtful
• Isaiah Jackson – out
• James Wiseman – out
• Aaron Nesmith – out

Nets Injury Report

• Cam Thomas – out
• Cameron Johnson – out
• Bojan Bogdanovic – out
• Ben Simmons – questionable
• D’Angelo Russell – questionable
• Maxwell Lewis – out
• De’Anthony Melton – out
• Trendon Watford – out
• Dariq Whitehead – out

Pacers vs. Nets Best NBA Prop Bets

Indiana Pacers Best NBA Prop Bet

• Pascal Siakam OVER 2.5 Assists (-175)

Pacers forward Pascal Siakam is averaging 3.4 assists per game this season, clearing 2.5 dimes in four straight games (he has at least four assists in each of those matchups).

Now, Siakam is taking on a Brooklyn team that is in the bottom 10 of the NBA in opponent assists per game. It’s worth noting that Siakam did not record an assist against the Nets in a loss to them earlier this season, but I think this is a prime spot to buy him at a lower number (2.5) given his recent passing success. He’s cleared 2.5 dimes in nine of his last 12 games. 

Brooklyn Nets Best NBA Prop Bet

• Nic Claxton UNDER 8.5 Rebounds (-120)

This is a tough matchup for the Nets big man, as the Pacers rank fifth in the NBA in rebounding percentage and held him to eight rebounds in their first meeting this season. 

Claxton is averaging just 7.6 rebounds per game, and he’s failed to clear 8.5 rebounds in 18 of his 29 contests. I’ll fade him in this matchup, especially since he was limited to just 23:24 of playing time in a blowout loss Brooklyn’s last time out. 

Pacers vs. Nets Prediction and Pick

Earlier on Monday, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why the Pacers are a great bet to make in this matchup:

The Indiana Pacers have been far from a good team on the road in the 2024-25 season, going 9-12 straight up, but they’ve turned things around as of late. 

Over their last seven road games, Indiana is 7-1 straight up and against the spread, posting three double-digit wins and six wins by nine points or more over that stretch.

Has the switch flipped for Tyrese Haliburton and company? Some of those road wins have been impressive against teams like Miami, Boston, Golden State, Phoenix, and Sacramento, and now the Pacers are heavily favored on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.

Brooklyn is down a boatload of players on Monday night, including Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and potentially D’Angelo Russell (questionable) and Ben Simmons (questionable). 

The Nets have dropped seven of their last 10 games and are just 5-6 against the spread as home dogs this season, posting an average scoring margin of -9.9 points per game in those contests.

To top it off, Brooklyn is just 5-10 straight up at home and has fallen to 24th in the NBA in net rating at its home arena. I’m not going to overthink this bet and back the Pacers to stay hot. 

Pick: Pacers -10 (-110)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.