The Indiana Pacers (14-22) visit the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Sunday for a 6 p.m. ET game with the Cleveland Cavaliers (20-16). Below, we look at the Pacers vs. Cavaliers odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
Indiana has lost four of its past five games (2-3 against the spread), including three straight to the Chicago Bulls (twice) and Charlotte Hornets. The Pacers are 2-3 Over/Under in the stretch.
Cleveland has also lost four of five and three straight games (1-4 ATS) with a 3-2 O/U. The past three losses have come against the New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks.
Pacers at Cavaliers odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:14 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Pacers +120 (bet $100 to win $120) | Cavaliers -145 (bet $145 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Pacers +2.5 (-105) | Cavaliers -2.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 210.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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Pacers at Cavaliers key injuries
Pacers
- PG Malcolm Brogdon (health and safety protocols) out
- SG Chris Duarte (health and safety protocols) out
- SG Jeremy Lamb (health and safety protocols) out
- SG Kelan Martin (health and safety protocols) out
Cavaliers
- PG Darius Garland (health and safety protocols) out
- SF Cedi Osman (health and safety protocols)
- PG Ricky Rubio (knee) out
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Pacers at Cavaliers odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Cavaliers 108, Pacers 103
Money line
PASS with a heavy “lean” to the Cavaliers (-145) because I like Cleveland in this spot and am willing to lay the points.
But given how terribly Cleveland has played recently and some of its costly injuries, the -145 is a little out of my price range.
However, I do endorse BETTING the CAVALIERS (-135) FIRST-HALF MONEY LINE because they have played well in the first half of their past three losses before squandering those games in the second half.
Over the past three games, the Cavs have a plus-6.0 first-half scoring margin but a minus-14.0 worst second-half scoring margin. The Pacers have a minus-11.0 first-half scoring margin during their current three-game slide.
The CAVALIERS (-135) FIRST-HALF MONEY LINE is my favorite wager in this game.
Against the spread
“LEAN” to the CAVALIERS -2.5 (-120) only because their first-half money line is my favorite wager in this contest.
What should be a strength for Indiana in this game – backcourt/guard play – has been neutralized by a COVID-19 outbreak. The No. 2 and No. 3 Pacers in terms of adjusted on/off net rating – Brogdon and Lamb – are sidelined on the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Furthermore, the Pacers have been awful on the road this season. Indiana is 3-13 SU on the road with the 21st-ranked non-garbage time net rating at minus-3.9 points per 100 possessions and the fourth-worst spread differential at a minus-2.5 ATS margin.
Again, it’s more of a “LEAN” to the CAVALIERS -2.5 (-120), but Cleveland is definitely the right side in this game.
Over/Under
PASS since my prediction aligns pretty closely to Tipico‘s projected total, so there’s no value in betting the O/U. If anything, I’d lean to the Under, but all the value has been sucked out of that number.
The look-ahead total for the Pacers-Hornets was set at 214, but all the Under money has steamed the total down to the current price, so we’d be getting the worst of the number.
There was value in Under 214, but there is no value in Under 210.5 (-115).
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