The Cleveland Cavaliers (18-7) will try to lengthen their 13-game winning streak against the Indiana Pacers (14-11) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The game can be seen on Fox Sports – Ohio at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, December 8, 2017.
Cleveland opened as a 2-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 220.5 points.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers Betting Prediction
The Cavaliers come in on a high note after defeating the Sacramento Kings in their last matchup, 101-95. Cleveland’s 0.167 free throw rate was their largest strength over Sacramento, who had a mark of 0.081. The Cavaliers’ mark was below their season average of 0.231, while the Kings’ was below their season average of 0.155. With 32 points on 12-for-18 shooting, LeBron James was the game’s high scorer.
In the Pacers’ last game, they won a close one over the Chicago Bulls, 98-96. Indiana had a better turnover percentage (12.5 vs. 15.1). Chicago, meanwhile, had an offensive rebounding percentage of 25.6 (above their season average of 19.9). Victor Oladipo was the game’s high scorer with 27 points on 10-for-20 shooting.
Getting to the line might be scarce for Indiana in this battle. The Pacers currently rank 24th in the NBA with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.175, while Cleveland ranks fifth in FTA rate allowed (0.173). Additionally, the sweet-shooting offense of the Cavaliers ranks fourth in effective field goal percentage (0.554), while the Pacers are fifth-worst in the league at effective field goal percentage allowed (0.534).
Cleveland has an excellent 18-7 straight up (SU) record, but they have a hard time covering the spread (9-15-1 against the spread (ATS)). Of the Cavaliers’ 25 games, 14 have finished over the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Indiana is 14-11 SU and 15-10 ATS. Of the Pacers’ 25 games, 12 have finished over the total.
Kevin Love has averaged 24.0 points and 10.4 rebounds over the last five games for Cleveland.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Darren Collison put up 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds and the Pacers, who were 10-point underdogs, beat the Cavaliers 124-107. The game finished with a total of 231 points, which was 14 points above the projected point total of 217 points. The Pacers had a better turnover percentage (10.3 vs. 14.4) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.633 vs. 0.541).
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers Odds Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Pacers, ATS Winner – Pacers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Cleveland is 8-4 ATS on the road with 7 overs and 5 unders.
Indiana is 7-5 ATS at home with 7 unders, 4 overs and 1 push.
Indiana is 7-0 when they hold opponents below 100 points, while Cleveland is 8-0.
The Cavaliers are 18-5 when they score more than 100 points, while the Pacers are 12-5.
Cleveland ranks fourth in blocks allowed per game (4.1) while Indiana ranks 27th (5.6).
The Pacers average 23.3 assists per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Cavaliers rank 29th in assists allowed per game (24.9).
Indiana ranks fourth in fast break points per game (15.0) while Cleveland ranks 23rd (9.0).
The Cavaliers rank fifth in three pointers attempted per game (32.4) while the Pacers rank 23rd (25.4).
Cleveland ranks 14th in points in the paint per game (43.7) while Indiana ranks 26th in points allowed in the paint per game (49.2).
The Pacers rank fifth in points off turnovers per game (19.2) while the Cavaliers rank 11th in points off turnovers allowed per game (16.7).
Indiana ranks 15th in second chance points per game (12.5) while Cleveland ranks 18th in second chance points allowed per game (12.5).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Cleveland is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Indiana is 3-2 ATS with 2 overs, 2 unders and 1 push over their last five games.
The Cavaliers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 10.2, up from 3.5 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pacers have scored an average of 109.2 points per game (0.8 above their season average) and allowed an average of 108.0 points per game (0.6 above their season average).
