The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers are about set to face off in a East-West matchup. The Thunder are perfect this season against Eastern Conference foes, without counting the NBA Cup Championship which does not factor into the regular seaon standings.

This is a battle between two hot teams as the Pacers are fresh off a season-saving road trip to get them back to .500 and heading in the right direction. The Thunder are on an eight-game winning streak, turning in a 9-1 record over the last ten games.

Oklahoma City will be without two key rotational pieces in Chet Holmgren and Alex Caruso. While the Thunder have already plotted to be without Holmgren for a large chunk of the regular season, the Caruso blow hurts. The defensive ace provides a different edge and intensity off the bench while limiting offensive something of a nightmare for scorers, all extremely important for road contests.

The Pacers will have Myles Turner in the fold after listing him as questionable all day. However, Indiana despite its size, still ranks 29th in rebounds per game. This opens the door for Isaiah Hartenstein and company to still control the glass and help the Thunder earn a win.

Oklahoma City will have to shoot the ball well from 3-point land, which will be a tall task. The Thunder have labored on offense for some of this eight game stretch and keeping pace with Indiana’s top ten 3-point shooters will be difficult on the road.

However, the Thunder should have two of the three best players on the floor at minimum and its depth should be enough to pull out a win. With FanDuel keeping the line at a flat five points in Oklahoma City’s direction, this scribe would advise throwing a small sum down on the favorites that could easily disorient the Pacers turnover-prone lineups leading to easy points and a big road win.

The Bet: Thunder -5

The Record: 18-10-1

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.