The Cleveland Cavaliers (44-26) and their second-ranked offense welcome the Indiana Pacers (30-37) and their fifth-ranked defense. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 20 and can be seen on FSN-IN and FSN-OH.
The Cavaliers played well in their last game, dismantling the Nets 117-92 on Wednesday. Timofey Mozgov was the team’s leading scorer with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting. The Pacers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after the 103-86 loss against the Bulls on Wednesday. Solomon Hill led the team in scoring with 13 points.
Kyrie Irving has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Cavaliers. During that stretch, he has averaged 29.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 3.2 three-pointers.
This showdown pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Cleveland currently ranks second in the NBA in offensive efficiency and Indiana is fifth in defensive efficiency.
The Pacers lead the season series against the Cavaliers two games to one, including a 93-86 win the last time these two teams met. George Hill put up a triple-double in the victory, with 15 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
The odds for Cleveland and Indiana are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Cavaliers have gone 44-26 Straight Up (SU) and 36-34 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been able to pull off wins at home against opponents within their division, going 3-2 SU, but only have a record of 2-3 ATS.
In the other locker room, the Pacers have a record of 35-30-2 ATS and 30-37 SU. Against fellow division members, Indiana has a 7-6 SU and ATS record. The Pacers have controlled the glass with an average of 44.8 per game, fifth in the league.
With the Pacers’ last win against Cleveland, their SU record is now 8-2 over the Cavaliers in the last 10 meetings. With a 6-4 record, the Pacers also have the advantage ATS. In these last 10 matchups, Indiana held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times, with Cleveland controlling all three of these areas one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, ATS Winner – CLE
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 5 games.
Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Cleveland’s last 11 games at home.
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cleveland’s last 7 games when playing Indiana.
Cleveland is 3-17 SU in its last 20 games when playing Indiana.
Cleveland is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Indiana.
Cleveland is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against Indiana.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games when playing at home against Indiana.
Cleveland is 6-5 against its divisional rivals, while Indiana is 7-6 against its division.
Indiana ranks 24th in points per game with 96.4, while Cleveland ranks 12th in points allowed with an average of 98.9 given up.
Indiana puts up an average of 95.7 points per away game (ranked 22nd), while Cleveland gives up 96.2 points per home game (ranked ninth).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a tremendous 31-6. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Indiana Pacers have an underachieving record of 11-31.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Cavaliers are just 13-20 this season. Indiana is an outstanding 19-6 when it hits the century mark.
The Cavaliers have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.5). The Pacers are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 100.0 (ranked fifth).
Cleveland averages fewer possessions per game than Indiana, with 95.4 compared to 96.5. However, the Cavaliers score an average of 1.085 points per possession, more than the .999 that the Pacers score.
Cleveland is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 51.8% (ranked fourth in the NBA). Indiana is a subpar 5-13 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Cleveland makes an average of 22.0 assists per game (ranked 12th), while Indiana makes 21.4 assists per game (ranked 18th).
Cleveland makes an average of 4.1 blocks per game (ranked 26th). Indiana ranks higher in blocks with 4.6 (ranked 18th).
Cleveland ranks in the top half of the NBA in offensive rebounding at 12th, while Indiana ranks near the top of the league (third) in defensive rebounding.
The Cleveland Cavaliers average 7.4 steals per game. When giving up 7 or more steals, the Indiana Pacers have a losing record (14-29) this season.
