The Indiana Pacers host the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday with a win streak on the line.
The pregame narrative: Indiana's NBA Finals hangover has hit like a Mack Truck, but the Eastern Conference basement-dwellers have won their last three games while playing solid defence. The Raptors are 2-0 against the Pacers this year, and are 2.5-point road favourites tonight.
Check out my Raptors vs. Pacers picks for Jan. 14, featuring Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.
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Raptors vs. Pacers picks
Best bet: Barnes to record a double-double (+114)
This is mainly a play on Barnes to record 10 points and 10 rebounds, but the good thing is that he's also capable of reaching double-digit assists.
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The forward has three 10-assist games in his last eight contests, and two triple-doubles.
But back to the rebounding. Barnes is averaging 8.3 boards per game and has an outsized opportunity with Jakob Poeltl and RJ Barrett sidelined.
Who's going to clean the glass for Indiana?
I'm certainly not worried about "Jay Huff," the 7-foot-1 starting centre who is averaging more 3-point attempts (4.0) than rebounds (2.7) in January.
Pascal Siakam holds the highest rebounding total of any Pacer at 6.5, but Barnes is just as big and seven years younger.
Look for the Raptors' top dog to be active tonight.
Key stat: Barnes has five double-doubles in his last six games against the Pacers, falling one assist shy in the outlier.
Raptors prop predictions
Ingram under 1.5 threes (+112): Ingram is on a dry spell from 3-point land, going 0-for-4 in his last two contests.
He only played 11 minutes before exiting with an injury against the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 7, but he has still gone under 1.5 threes in six of his last eight games (with a 25.6 3PT%).
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This isn't a great matchup for Ingram to find his beyond-the-arc scoring touch.
The Pacers have the second-best 3-point defence in the NBA (34.4%) and the third-worst mid-range defence (48.6%), per Cleaning the Glass.
Ingram isn't a big 3-point shooter to begin with, taking 74% of his shots inside the arc, and he's better off going inside to do damage.
Case in point: He scored 45 points across two games vs. the Pacers this year despite shooting 1-for-6 from deep. Expect a similar game plan on Wednesday.
Raptors vs. Celtics picks made at 9:50 a.m. ET on Jan. 14, 2026.
