- 1 Indiana Pacers vs Denver Nuggets: ten names on the injury report and a Saturday at Arena CDMX
- 2 Indiana Pacers: 40% shooting, six healthy players and a hamstring list
- 3 Denver Nuggets: Murray’s 39 and 35, and a defense giving up 115.2
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Indiana Pacers vs Denver Nuggets
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Indiana Pacers vs Denver Nuggets: ten names on the injury report and a Saturday at Arena CDMX 
Ten Indiana players were on the injury report on Monday, and the Pacers finished the night with six available in a 108-104 home loss to Atlanta. The team can’t add a hardship exception because it’s close to its first-apron hard cap, so the roster it takes to Mexico City on Saturday depends on who heals by the weekend.
Indiana faces Denver at Arena CDMX on Saturday 7 November, tip-off 5:00pm ET, in the NBA’s 2026 Mexico City Game. It’ll be the league’s 35th game in the country and its 16th regular-season game there. Indiana is the designated home team and has never played in Mexico. Denver’s only previous game there was a preseason date in Monterrey in 2006.
The records aren’t close, but neither team arrives in form. Indiana is 2-6 and has lost six of its last eight. Denver is 3-3 after a 118-110 home loss to Portland on Monday, a game the Nuggets led by 14 in the second quarter.
The calendar leaves both teams with some travel to plan around. Indiana plays in Memphis on Wednesday and Denver hosts Toronto the same night, so each has Thursday and Friday to get to Mexico. Neither team plays on Friday.
Past crowds at this building have been full: 20,385 for Detroit and Dallas in 2025, 20,328 for Miami and Washington in 2024. Those numbers say more about the setting than about any home edge, and we’d treat this as a neutral floor when weighing the two teams.
Indiana Pacers: 40% shooting, six healthy players and a hamstring list 
Tyrese Haliburton hasn’t played since a left hamstring strain was announced on 28 October, and Rick Carlisle said at the time that he expected about two weeks out. That timeline ends around the Mexico City game without promising anything, and the guard is the player whose status changes this preview most.
T.J. McConnell has a right hamstring strain, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith were on injury management on Monday, and Pascal Siakam sat out for rest on the second night of a back-to-back. Ivica Zubac has missed five straight games with a left ankle sprain. Johnny Furphy (ACL) and Ben Sheppard (meniscus) are out for much longer.
The loss to Brooklyn on Sunday showed how far the offense has dropped. Indiana shot 40%, scored 40 in the first half and finished with 90, its lowest total of the season, and it was outrebounded 43-37. Nembhard’s 23 points were the only high number in the box score, and no Pacer had more than six rebounds.
The depleted group did make Atlanta work. Six players cut a 15-point deficit to one possession in the fourth quarter on Monday, with a 7-0 run in the third and a 9-0 run late. Jarace Walker, Jay Huff, Quenton Jackson and Kelly Oubre Jr. have all taken bigger roles.
The defense can’t cover for the absences. Miami scored 145 on the Pacers on 30 October, and Dallas won 121-105 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse earlier in the season.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
Denver Nuggets: Murray’s 39 and 35, and a defense giving up 115.2 
Jamal Murray scored 39 in Phoenix on Friday and 35 against Portland on Monday, and he hit two threes late to pull Denver within 110-107. He leads the team in scoring and went into last week averaging 22.5 points with 5.8 assists.
Nikola Jokic had 26 points, nine rebounds and eight assists on Monday. His season line going into that game was 22.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists. Portland built its fourth-quarter lead with him on the bench, opening the period on a 9-2 run, so David Adelman’s rotation around him is the thing to watch.
Rebounding hurt Denver on Monday. The Blazers won the glass 53-37 and took 21 offensive rebounds, nine of them from Donovan Clingan. An Indiana frontcourt without Zubac can’t repeat that, and Aaron Gordon’s 6.5 rebounds a game and Trevon Brazile’s 7.5 should go a long way here.
The Nuggets have lost two of their first three at Ball Arena but have won twice on the road, 104-91 in New Orleans and 127-120 in Phoenix, where they hit 20 of 37 threes. They allowed 115.2 points a night over the first five games, with 135 against New Orleans and 134 against Golden State the worst of it.
The injury list is short by comparison. Spencer Jones missed Monday with a hamstring problem and Julian Strawther was given six weeks with a knee injury on 16 October. DeMar DeRozan (13.0 points) and Christian Braun (11.5) give Denver two more scorers than Indiana can currently field.
Probable lineup Indiana Pacers: Not announced at time of publication
Probable lineup Denver Nuggets: Not announced at time of publication
Free NBA Prediction: Indiana Pacers vs Denver Nuggets
Our prediction: Denver Nuggets -5.5 (handicap)
Denver has the two best players on the floor, and Indiana has no center who can match up with Jokic while Zubac is out. Murray has scored 74 points in his last two games. The Pacers’ last two totals were 90 and 104, both at home.
The case against us is Indiana’s return list. Siakam, Nembhard and Nesmith were rested or managed rather than injured on Monday, and all three could be back on Saturday, with Haliburton possibly close behind. That would turn a six-man rotation into a real one, and Denver’s defense has given up 134 and 135 this season.
Lines weren’t posted at the time of writing, so 5.5 is our number rather than the market’s. A straight Nuggets win is likely to price under our 1.45 minimum, which is why we’ve taken the handicap, and we’d drop the pick if Haliburton is confirmed active.
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
_________
About our free predictions
- What we publish on MathOdds are analyses, nothing more. We share a view, a reading of the moment, but never a guarantee. Sport remains what it is: unpredictable. A red card, an injury, a last-minute goal, and the script changes completely.
- Let’s be clear: there is no such thing as a risk-free bet. Even when it looks “obvious”, nothing ever is. And yes, that means you can lose. It’s even inevitable at some point.
- The smartest approach is to stay reasonable. Bet small, set a budget and stick to it. Never use money you need to live on. And above all: don’t chase your losses: that rarely ends well.
- A bet should remain a game, not a job or a source of income. If it starts taking up too much space in your daily life, causes stress or frustration, take a break. And if needed, talk to a support organisation: that’s what they’re there for.
- Ultimately, responsibility lies with you. Reading our content means accepting that risk exists and will never disappear, no matter how good the analysis.
- Essential reminder: gambling is prohibited for minors and must comply with the laws of your country. Need help? Visit begambleaware.org.
No commitment from us
Our predictions carry no contractual value. They have no legal standing. In short: you cannot rely on them to claim anything if a bet doesn’t come through.
Information changes
A prediction is always based on what we know at the time of writing. But between publication and kick-off, a lineup can change, a player picks up an injury, the weather turns, and the analysis can quickly be outdated. We cannot be held responsible for that.
Your responsibility
Before placing a bet, simply check that gambling is legal in your country. If it isn’t, that’s your responsibility, not ours.
Responsible gambling
We can’t say it enough: gamble responsibly. If you’re struggling to stay in control, don’t wait to seek help.
Legal age
MathOdds content is intended for adults only. By browsing here, you confirm you meet the legal age requirement for gambling in your jurisdiction.
About visuals
The images and logos of Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets on MathOdds are used solely to illustrate our articles. They do not imply any official affiliation with a federation or sports organisation, and we claim no rights over them. Those rights belong to their original owners. If any visual raises a concern, contact us and it will be removed without delay.
Leave a Reply