The Cleveland Cavaliers (20-17) and Indiana Pacers (6-30) meet Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Cavaliers vs. Pacers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Cavaliers lead 2-0, with 120-109 in-season tournament win at home Nov. 21 and 139-119 road win Dec. 1
Cleveland suffered a 114-110 loss at home Sunday to the Detroit Pistons as 3-point favorites as the Under (239.5) cashed. G Donovan Mitchell went for 30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals with 3 3-pointers in 33 minutes, while C Evan Mobley had 15 points and 4 blocks.
The loss to the Pistons halted a 3-game winning and cover streak. Cleveland is still 5-2 against the spread (ATS) in the past 7 games, and the Under is 4-1 in the past 5 outings.
Indiana was tripped up 135-127 at Orlando last time out Sunday as a 6-point underdog as the Over (228.5) connected. F Pascal Siakam did his best, going for 34 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assist and 2 treys, while G Aaron Nesmith was good for 25 points, and G Andrew Nembhard went for 20 points and 11 assists.
The Pacers have dropped 12 in a row since their last win Dec. 8 against Sacramento. The Pacers are 2-7 ATS in the past 9 games, and 3-9 ATS in the 12-game skid. The Over is 5-1 in the past 6 games, as Indiana has conceded at least 123 points in 5 of the past 6 contests.
Cavaliers at Pacers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:36 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Cavaliers -220 (bet $220 to win $100) | Cavaliers +180 (bet $100 to win $180)Against the spread: Cavaliers -5.5 (-110) | Pacers +5.5 (-110)Over/Under (O/U): 235.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)Cavaliers at Pacers key injuries
Cavaliers
C Jarrett Allen (illness) questionableG Donovan Mitchell (rest) outF Larry Nance Jr. (calf) outF Max Strus (foot) outF Dean Wade (knee) questionable
Pacers
C Isaiah Jackson (concussion) outF Bennedict Mathurin (thumb) outF Obi Toppin (foot) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Cavaliers at Pacers picks and predictionsPrediction
Cavaliers 125, Pacers 116
The Cavaliers (-220) will cost you more than 2 times your potential return, and that would be a lot of risk any time, but especially when Cleveland is resting its leading scorer Mitchell.
Even as part of a multi-leg parlay, it isn’t worth using the Cavs, even though the Pacers have been awful lately.
AVOID, and look to the spread instead.
The CAVALIERS -5.5 (-110) are worth a roll of the dice against the skidding Pacers. However, proceed with caution.
The Cavs have Spida listed on the injury report as out due to rest, and Allen is dealing with an illness, and he carries a questionable tag into the game. While the Pacers have dropped 12 in a row, if Cleveland is down 2 starters, that gives Indiana some hope.
The OVER 234.5 (-110) is worth a play because of how bad Indiana has been on defense lately.
The Pacers have coughed up 123 or more points in 5 of the past 6 games, and that’s been par for the course. The defending Eastern Conference champs have allowed 123.1 points per game, ranking 27th in the NBA, while checking in 24th in defensive field-goal percentage at 48.4%.
The Over is 5-1 in the past 6 games for Indiana. While the Under is 4-1 in the psat 5 games for the Cavs, the Over has a 5-4 edge in the previous 9 outings.
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