Tip-off: Wednesday, 10:05 p.m. ET
Line: Portland -7.5, Total: 213.5

Both the Pacers and Blazers will be looking to earn a big victory when the teams meet in Portland on Wednesday.

The Pacers have seemingly found their stride recently, as they have now won-and-covered in five of their past eight games. Their most impressive victory was their last game, when they beat the Clippers 91-70 as 12-point home underdogs on Nov. 27. Indiana has won the turnover battle in four straight games, and that is something that is important in determining the winner of their games. The Blazers, meanwhile, have now lost six of their past eight games. This team is struggling defensively, as Portland has now allowed opponents to shoot 45% from the floor or better in six of its past seven games. The Blazers must do a better job on that end or they’ll continue to lose games. It’s worth noting that Portland has gotten the best of Indiana in recent years. The Blazers are 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS when facing the Pacers over the past three seasons, and they have also won seven straight games SU against Indiana when playing in Portland. Not everything works in the Blazers’ favor in this game, though. Portland is just 2-11 ATS versus teams scoring at least 99 points per game this season and Indiana is averaging 103.5 (15th in NBA). That Pacers team is, however, playing without SF Paul George (Ankle). He’s expected to miss this game, and it’s unclear when exactly he’ll return. The Pacers will also be without both SF C.J. Miles (Knee) and PF Kevin Seraphin (Knee). The Blazers, meanwhile, will not have SF Al-Farouq Aminu (Calf), who is out indefinitely for the team.

The Pacers are playing well right now and PG Jeff Teague (14.6 PPG, 6.8 APG, 2.1 SPG) has done an excellent job of running this offense lately. Over the past five games, Teague is averaging 7.6 APG, and he has had at least eight in each of the past three. His play will be crucial on Wednesday, as he must hold his own against Damian Lillard. With George out, this game will ultimately come down to the play of C Myles Turner (14.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.4 BPG), though. Turner is averaging 16.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 2.5 BPG over the past two games, and he should be able to go off on Wednesday as well. The Blazers are weakest in the frontcourt, and Turner will need to be aggressive. If he gets his jumper going then Indiana should be able to keep this thing close. SG Monta Ellis (10.6 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.3 SPG) will be an x-factor here as well. Ellis had just five points on 2-for-12 shooting against the Clippers on Sunday, and he’ll need to be better on Wednesday. If he can hold his own against C.J. McCollum then the Pacers could steal this thing.

The Blazers are coming off of a bad home loss to the Rockets, and they know they need to play well on Wednesday. PG Damian Lillard (28.2 PPG, 5.3 APG, 4.9 RPG) should have no trouble doing just that, as he is averaging 26.8 PPG over the past five contests. Lillard has been better than ever as a scorer this year, as he is averaging a career-high in points per game. This is a fairly easy matchup for him on Wednesday, as this will be an up-tempo game and he’ll be guarded by a weaker Jeff Teague, as well. That means that Lillard should be able to finish a ton of shots around the basket and he’ll also get himself to the free-throw line. That’ll open things up for his teammates too. SG C.J. McCollum (22.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.3 SPG) should also be able to get it going on Wednesday. McCollum has made four threes in each of the past two games, and he is averaging 26.0 PPG in those contests. Look for him to shoot the ball once again in this one, as he is shooting a blistering 47.1% from the outside in home games this year.