Rogers' EARLY Sunday ANNIHILATION >> 62-35-4 L101 NBA Sides!
(NBA) Indiana vs. Atlanta,
Point Spread: 3.00 | -108.00 Indiana (Away)
Result: Win
The set-up; The 31-30 Indiana Pacers have lost eight of 10 and currently own the No. 6 seed in the East but are just a half-game ahead of the Bulls and 1 1/2 up on the Pistons. They visit Atlanta this afternoon to take on the 34-27 Hawks, who have slipped to fifth in the East, three games ahead of the Pacers.

Indiana: There was talk around the trade deadline that the Pacers would move their best player, but Paul George (21.7 & 6.1) is still around. However, maybe all the distractions surrounding that talk has contributed to his slump, which has become very real. George is mired in a shooting slump that's lasted five games, as he's connecting on only 31.4 percent of his FG attempts while averaging just 13.6 points in that span, 8.1 points below his season average! Former Atlanta Hawks PG Jeff Teague will return to Philips Arena for the first time as a member of the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. The Hawks saw Teague as expendable and sent him to Indiana in a three-team deal that sent George Hill to Utah. Teague's had an very good season (15.3-4.2-8.1), joining George and the 6-11 Turner (15.5 & 7.2) as the 'heart' of this Indiana team in 2016-17.

Atlanta:The Hawks had snapped a three-game losing streak with wins over Boston and Dallas but were ripped for 135 points and an NBA single-game record 25 three-pointers in a five-point loss at home to the Cavs on Friday. The Hawks have been getting much improved play recently from Tim Hardaway Jr. (13.4) plus the pickup of veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova (9.8 & 5.0 in about 21 minutes over five games) has also been a plus. Atlanta also will probably have a new backup PG for the game. The Hawks were expected to sign veteran Jose Calderon to a free-agent deal, as he has obtained a buyout from the Lakers and has changed his mind about going to Golden State. Millsap (18.0 & 7.8) and Howard (13.4 & 12.8) have been steady all season up front and the Hawks were right about Schroder (17.4 & 6.3 APG), who has replaced Teague without missing a beat.

The pick: Atlanta has not done much at home this season, as the Hawks are is just slightly better at home (17-13) than they are on the road (17-14), something few teams can say (or want to say). It's hard to see George's shooting slump continuing much longer and I want the points. Indiana is a play.