Central Division foes will collide when the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-1) face off against the Indiana Pacers (3-3) at the Quicken Loans Arena. Action begins at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Nov. 8 and can be seen on FxO and FxI.
The Cavaliers enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the 76ers 108-102 on Friday. LeBron James played a pivotal role, recording his third double-double of the season with 31 points and 13 assists. The Pacers, meanwhile, are coming off a 90-87 win against the Heat on Friday. Paul George claimed his third double-double of the season with 36 points and 12 rebounds.
This one isn’t expected to be close when the Cavaliers, a big nine-point favorite, take on the Pacers. The Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 198 points for this matchup. The Cavaliers have gone 5-1 Straight Up (SU) and 3-3 Against The Spread (ATS). Although they have struggled to cover the spread against the East (2-3), they’ve won fairly consistently (4-1). The rebounding edge goes to the Cavaliers in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the league with an average of 48.2 boards per game. Cleveland is one of the most disciplined teams in the league with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.88. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play Cleveland’s stingy defense. The Cavaliers are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 92.2 points per game.
Over on the other bench, the Pacers have 3-3 SU and ATS records.
The divisional foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous head-to-head meeting, Cleveland came out on top, but the win was not enough to overtake Indiana in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. Furthermore, the Pacers hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, ATS Winner – Cle, O/U – Under
Notes
Cleveland is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games.
Cleveland is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Cleveland is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games at home.
Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland’s last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cleveland’s last 8 games when playing Indiana.
Cleveland is 4-17 SU in its last 21 games when playing Indiana.
Cleveland is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games when playing at home against Indiana.
Cleveland ranks 14th in points per game with 102.3, while Indiana ranks eighth in points allowed with an average of 97.0 given up.
Cleveland ranks 15th in the league with 102.0 points per home game. Indiana gives up just 94.0 points per away game (ranked fifth).
The Indiana Pacers won their last game by a three-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 0-1. Indiana is 2-0 in close games this season.
Indiana has a winning 3-1 record this season when it allows under 100 points in a game. Cleveland is sitting at an even 1-1 when it puts up under 100.
The Pacers are winless this season when they allow at least 100 points (0-2). Conversely, Cleveland is undefeated when it hits the century mark with a record of 4-0.
The Pacers have an offensive rating of 95.9 (ranked 28th), while the Cavaliers rank sixth for their defensive rating of 95.2.
Cleveland is among the top-ranked teams based on its average field goal percentage of 46.1% (ranked eighth). Indiana has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-1).
The Cleveland Cavaliers attempt 26.0 three pointers per game this season, while the Indiana Pacers attempt 21.0 per game. When they register 25 or more three point attempts in a game, Cleveland is a winning 4-1 while Indiana is winless (0-1).
The third-ranked team, Cleveland has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.88 this season. Indiana ranks lower at 27th with an A/TO of 1.18.
Cleveland ranks fifth among all teams in rebounding, placing the team near the top of the league (48.2 per game). Indiana, however, ranks 26th in rebounding with 41.7 per game.
The Indiana Pacers rank in the top half of the league in offensive rebounds (ranked 12th). The Cleveland Cavaliers rank near the very top of the league in defensive rebounding (ranked fifth).
Indiana’s defense forces its opponents to commit an average turnover percentage of 17.7%, ranked second in the league. In games where Cleveland has a TOV% of 17.7% or higher, the team is undefeated (1-0).
