Cleveland is trying to end the negative streak of three consecutive defeats, while the Indiana Pacers are playing the second of back0to0back matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers
Spread: Cavaliers -10.5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 216 (-110)
The Pacers are on a hunt for the third straight victory
The Indiana Pacers upset the San Antonio Spurs at home before defeating the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday and now are in the search for the third consecutive win. However, it’s going to be hard to beat the Cavs in Cleveland, especially considering they failed to do so in the previous seven H2H encounters. Still, the Pacers are one of the most pleasant surprises early in the season, and four wins in seven games are surely better than many anticipated.
Indiana dominated the duel with Sacramento from the very start, leading by 25 points at halftime, and keeping a distance throughout the second half for a convincing 101:83 win. The Pacers were excellent from beyond the arc (12-29), comparing it to the Kings’ 14.3 percent and just a pair of three-pointers. Another key factor was a commanding performance in the assist department as the Pacers recorded 25 in opposite to Sacramento’s 15, while they also hit more free throws than the visitors (17-7). Bojan Bogdanovic led Indiana with 17 points and four dimes; Thaddeus Young contributed with 15 points, four rebounds, and game-high four steals, while Victor Oladipo was right behind with 14 points and four boards. Cory Joseph added 13, but the Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis impressed with a double-double of 12 points and 16 career-high rebounds, along with game-high and career-high five dishes. This was Sabonis’ fifth straight double-double performance as he was even doubtful to feature due to an upper respiratory infection, but he logged 25 minutes and earned the MVP of the match award. Head coach Nate McMillan stated that once Myles Turner returns from injury, he will give a chance to Sabonis to play alongside Myles and see how they will work together in the paint. That is great news for the big guy who is looking to have a breakout campaign. If McMillan opts to field him again on Wednesday, Domantas could post another double-double in a matchup with Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love. Victor Oladipo is another player to watch as the former Thunder averages 25.5 ppg and 14 points against the Kings is the season low for him.
Glenn Robinson III is a long-term absentee due to an ankle injury, while Myles Turner is officially out for this clash, but he is hopeful he can return to the floor on Friday in Philadelphia. The Pacers are scoring 109.71 points per contest on average (5th in the NBA), while they are allowing 107.86 points in return (20th in the NBA). Indiana is among the best teams in the league (4th) when it comes to field goal percentage (47.44%), and they are limiting the opponents to just 71.33% from the free throw line, making their defense second in the NBA in that regard.
Place: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 1st, 2017, 7 PM ET
TV Coverage: FSOHIO, FS Indiana
The Cavaliers are desperate to end the losing run
The Cleveland Cavaliers surprised many by losing three games in a row, but what is more surprising, they fell short against such teams and Brooklyn and New York. After four defeats in the previous five matches, LeBron James, and co. need to bounce back, and they will try to do it at home against the Pacers who are without a win in the H2H duels in the past seven meetings.
Losing the first and third quarter by ten and nine points, respectively, pretty much sealed the Cavs’ fate at Madison Square Garden, while the poor shooting percentage (38.3%) certainly didn’t help. Cleveland recorded 41 rebounds in opposite to New York’s 51, while they had seven assists fewer than the Knicks. Kevin Love led the Cavs with a double-double of 22 points and 11 boards, but he wasn’t great from the field (5-15), while LeBron James also posted a double-double of 16 points and ten rebounds, along with two steals. Derrick Rose returned to the floor against his former team after missing four games due to a left ankle injury and scored 15 points in 31 minutes. J.R. Smith added 11 points, but the rest of the squad didn’t play a significant role in the offense. I am expecting Cleveland to bounce back on this one as now Rose can take his point guard role, meaning that James will go back to his small forward spot or even power forward if Tyronn Lue decided to go with Love at the center. In any case, all three players have more than favorable matchups against Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Thaddeus Young, so I believe the trio could combine for 60+ points on Wednesday night, which should be enough for a victory.
Tyronn Lue still cannot count on this summer’s arrival Isaiah Thomas who is out for a couple more months, but Iman Shumpert should return after sitting the clash with New York. The Cavs are scoring 104.71 points per contest on average (14th in the NBA), while they are allowing 110.14 points in return (26th in the NBA). Cleveland is among the top ten teams when it comes to field goal percentage (46.07%) and free throw percentage (79.04%), so I suppose the disappointing shooting in New York was just a bad night for the Cavs, and they will likely improve that segment in this tilt.
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers Trends & Prediction
The Indiana Pacers are 5-2 against the spread (2-1 away), while they are 3-4 on over/under (2-1 away), so although I don’t expect them to go against the spread here, I do believe we could see a bunch of points. Both teams scored over 100+ in each of the previous eight H2H matches, and Cleveland scored just 95 in New York, so I think they will respond here with close to 120.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 1-6 against the spread (0-4 home), while they are 3-4 on over/under (1-3 home), and it’s about time to see them winning with the spread at home for the first time this season. I also think that their defense will not be able to keep Indiana below 100 points so we can have a classic shootout on Wednesday.
My Pick: Cleveland -10.5 (-110)
Total: Over 216 (-110)
