Pacers point guard Andrew Nembhard has not dished out 5-plus assists since Feb. 3 against Utah, but this is a great matchup with a game total of 245.5. The Nuggets give up the fourth-most assists to opposing point guards. Jamal Murray will have a hard time staying in front of Nembhard and preventing him from setting up teammates. Nembhard faced Denver twice last season and notched seven assists each time. Look for Nembhard to register at least five assists for the first time in eight games.

Widely available. Nikola Jokic is averaging 12.7 rebounds this season, and has a 55% hit rate on this over (28/51). This is a plus matchup, as the Pacers are 25th in the NBA in rebounds allowed to opposing centers. Against the bottom 15 teams of this metric, Jokic’s hit rate jumps to 64% (18/28). And against the bottom 10 teams he’s at 72% (13/18). Lastly, against teams in the top 10 of pace (Pacers are 6th), he’s cleared this line in 8/11 games. So no matter how you slice it, this is a plus spot for the Joker.

We suggest drilling a bit deeper to see who the Nuggets actually beat in their recent nine-game uptick that ended with a thud on Saturday vs. the Lakers. .Two wins over Charlotte, two over Portland, and two over New Orleans included in those nine, as well as a reeling Philly, Orlando, and Phoenix. It would have been hard not to go 9-0 against that sort of slate. Meanwhile the Pacers have flown out of the gate after the All-Star break, thumping the Griz and Clips, part of a 16-5 surge. Rick Carlisle is getting various contributions, with three leading scorers across the last four games, and Indiana better than 50% from the floor in both of its wins since the break. Play Pacers.