Teams looking to make history as the first NBA In-Season Tournament champion meet on Saturday in Las Vegas when the Indiana Pacers face the Los Angeles Lakers. The game from T-Mobile Arena will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Lakers are favored by 4 points in the latest Pacers vs. Lakers odds via SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 243 points. 

Before entering any Pacers vs. Lakers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Matthew Severance.

Severance is a well-connected writer and high-volume handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. After joining SportsLine, Matt quickly established himself as a top expert in multiple sports. Over the past two NBA seasons, he has returned $3,215 for $100 bettors, and he enters this matchup on a sizzling 20-3 roll on all NBA picks (+965). Anybody following him has seen HUGE returns!

Severance knows small forward LeBron James has been dominant over the past two tournament games, scoring 30 points in the win over the Pelicans on Thursday, and recording a double-double in the quarterfinal win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. In that game, James scored 31 points, dished out 11 assists, grabbed eight rebounds and had five steals. In 22 starts this season, he leads the team in scoring at 25 points per game, while grabbing 7.5 rebounds, dishing out 6.6 assists and adding 1.5 steals in 33.4 minutes of work.

He also is aware Indiana took out two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights in back-to-back tournament games with wins over the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks this past week, outscoring them by a combined 250-231. Point guard Tyrese Haliburton has been dominant, posting a triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the quarterfinal win over the Celtics. The fifth-year veteran who is just 23 years old scored 27 points and dished out 15 assists in the semifinals against the Bucks.

Severance is going Under on the total, and he's also found a critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must back! Be sure to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins Pacers vs. Lakers, and which side of the spread is a must-back? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the expert on a sizzling 20-3 roll NBA picks!