Pacers vs. Pelicans Prediction, Odds and Best Prop Bets for NBA Season Opener

Tyrese Haliburton makes his return to the court on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, as the Indiana Pacers begin a quest to prove that their run to the 2025 NBA Finals was far from a fluke.

Indiana is a trendy preseason pick to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference, and the addition of Ivica Zubac should give the Pacers a different look in the 2026-27 season.

On opening night the Pacers are favored on the road, though they won’t T.J McConnell or Aaron Nesmith due to injuries.

Still, oddsmakers aren’t buying the Pelicans after a 26-win season, especially after they made minimal moves in the offseason. Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III are back, and Dejounte Murray will be healthy from the jump this season. The Pels also added a key bench scorer in Bennedict Mathurin in free agency, though he’ll compete with newly-extend Saddiq Bey for touches in that second unit.

Can the Pels get back in the mix in the Western Conference play-in picture this season? It won’t be easy in Game 1 of 82 against a potential Finals contender.

Here’s a look at how oddsmakers view this matchup as well as my favorite prop and game pick on Wednesday night.

Pacers vs. Pelicans Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Pacers -3.5 (-115)
Pelicans +3.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Pacers: -162
Pelicans: +136

Total

239.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Pacers vs. Pelicans How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 21
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Smoothie King Center
How to Watch (TV): GCSEN, DAZN, NBA League Pass
Pacers record: 0-0
Pelicans record: 0-0

Pacers vs. Pelicans Injury Reports

Pacers Injury Report

Kobe Brown – probable
Johnny Furphy – out
T.J. McConnell – out
Aaron Nesmith – out
Jalen Slawson – probable
Braden Smith – doubtful

Pelicans Injury Report

None to report

Pacers vs. Pelicans Best NBA Prop Bets

Pacers Best NBA Prop Bet

Tyrese Haliburton OVER 8.5 Assists (-136)

In today’s edition of our best NBA props column at SI Betting, I broke down why I’m buying Haliburton in his first game back from an Achilles injury:

It’s good to have Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) back and ready to go for the 2026-27 season.

The star guard averaged 9.2 or more assists per game in each of his last four seasons, leading the league in assists per game in the 2023-24 season (10.9 per game).

He has a great matchup on Wednesday against a New Orleans team that was 25th in the NBA in opponent assists per game last season.

Haliburton should remain the engine of this Indiana offense, and the addition of Ivica Zubac should give him a player to use to get some easy dimes at the cup. I’m higher on the Pacers than some entering the 2026-27 campaign, and Indiana’s uptempo style should help Hali get right to his average in this prop from the last four years.

Pacers vs. Pelicans Prediction and Pick

I’m high on the Pacers entering this season, especially after Haliburton had some strong showings during the preseason.

Losing Nesmith for the season opener is a pretty big low to the rotation, but the Pelicans struggled to win games last season even though they weren’t tanking (they didn’t own their own draft pick).

Rick Carlisle is an absolute chameleon, adapting to every single change that the league throws his way. Indiana’s uptempo style and full-court pressure made it a pain to play against in the 2024-25 campaign.

While I expect the Pelicans to take a step forward with Murray healthy, I also think this is a team that could end up blowing things up at the deadline if it’s way out of the play-in mix.

I’ll side with Indiana to make a statement with a road win in Hali’s return.

Pick: Pacers Moneyline (-162 at DraftKings)

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.

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