NBA: Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers
After the controversies of getting catfished, Paul George put it all behind to drop 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals on rival Miami. Reuters

The San Antonio Spurs are in control of the league with the best record in the NBA. The Indiana Pacers are losing their hold on the East’s top spot. The conference’s best meet on Monday night at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Spurs have won 17 straight and haven’t lost since February 21 to the Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, the Pacers are a subpar 8-9 for the month of March. San Antonio has a league-best 57-16 win-loss card-- three games ahead of nearest rival Oklahoma City Thunder (54-19).

San Antonio’s streak is even more impressive if the margin of victory is considered. The Spurs win ballgames by an average of 16.0 points per game and the closest any opponent ever got was at five points in a 108-103 win over Denver on March 26. San Antonio also averaged 111.8 PPG during this stretch.

Conversely, Indiana’s struggle has been on offense. Over the last five games, the Pacers just score 77.2 PPG as Indiana’s key players have struggled all month long. Because of the recent drop, the Miami Heat (50-22) are now just one game behind the Pacers (52-22) for the East’s top seed.

The Spurs are coming off a 96-80 win versus the New Orleans Pelicans led by Marco Belinelli’s 18 points. Tim Duncan had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocked shots while Manu Ginobili scored 15 markers and added 3 steals off the bench.

Meanwhile the Pacers have lost four of their last five outings. The last one was a 90-76 loss versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a team, Indiana shot just 37.2 per cent from the field (29/78 FG). Paul George had 15 points but missed 8 of 13 shots while David West had 14 markers missing 10 of 16 from the field.

Betting Lines: San Antonio Spurs (-4.5) vs. Indiana Pacers (188.0)
 Game time: 10:00 am AEDT

Betting Against the Spread

San Antonio Spurs Trends
 - The Spurs are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games on the road
- The Spurs are 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games
- The Spurs are 50-24-1 ATS in their last 75 games vs. East teams

Indiana Pacers Trends
 - The Pacers are 4-21-1 ATS in their last 26 games
- The Pacers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games at home
- The Pacers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games vs. West teams