CLEVELAND — The top-seeded Cavaliers continue their playoff journey at 6 p.m. Sunday, May 4, when they face the No. 4 Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their second-round series in the NBA playoffs. The two teams are playing in a best-of-seven series for a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Led by All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs are coming off of a historic four-game sweep of the Miami Heat. The Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
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The status of the Cavs other All-Star guard, Darius Garland, remains up in the air for Game 1.
Here are predictions for Game 1 from Beacon Journal writers Nate Ulrich and Ryan Lewis.
Pacers vs. Cavs prediction: Who wins Game 1 tonight?
Ulrich: With both teams possessing formidable firepower, whose defense is going to emerge to provide an edge? The Cavs have been better statistically than the Pacers on defense, and they have All-Star forward Evan Mobley, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The Cavs need Mobley to live up to every bit of the hype in a key matchup against Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, Indiana’s leading scorer in the regular season (20.2) and playoffs (19.8). This prediction counts as a vote of confidence in Mobley delivering out of the gate. Cavaliers 125, Pacers 118
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Lewis: Ty Jerome, De’Andre Hunter and Max Strus all stepped up at different points in the first round against the Heat, and the Cavs will need as much firepower as possible, particularly if Darius Garland isn’t ready to go. The Cavs didn’t require much of Donovan Mitchell as they swept Miami, but this is the round that has haunted Mitchell his entire career — and I think he turns it on to begin the series with his first trip to the conference finals on the line. Cavaliers 119, Pacers 115
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs vs Indiana Pacers predictions for Game 1