For the first time in the series, the Cleveland Cavaliers gained series advantage over the Indiana Pacers after a 98-95 win in Game 5 on Wednesday. Now up 3-2 and a win away from reserving a spot in the second round, will the Cavs capitalize on an opportunity to close out the series this Friday? Or will Indiana extend the series to a Game 7?
What more can you ask of from LeBron James? The dude delivered another otherworldly performance in Game 5, posting 44 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in 42 minutes. He also had the game-saving block on Victor Oladipo and drained the game-winning 3-pointer to lead the Cavs to a win. James is averaging 34.8 points on 55 percent shooting, 11.4 rebounds, and 8.0 assists so far in the playoffs. For all his numbers, he still needs help. Kevin Love is the second-highest postseason scorer for the Cavs, and he’s just putting up 11.8 points per contest. LeBron did get some support from Kyle Korver who had 19 points on Wednesday. If Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood could get it going off the bench, it will ease off a huge burden off of LeBron’s shoulders. As a team, the Cavs are scoring 94.4 points on 43.8 percent shooting from the field in this series. Cleveland is 4-1 ATS in its last five road games overall.
Betting on the Indiana Pacers (-1.5)
The Pacers can talk about the goaltending violation that should be called on LeBron’s block on Oladipo, but they should not forget about the fact that Oladipo has been atrocious from the field in the playoffs. Excluding Game 1 of the series, Oladipo has shot just 30.9 percent from the field against the Cavs. In Game 4, he went 5-for-20 from the floor. Pacers expected him to do better in Game 5, but, in fact, he did worse, making only two of his 15 field goal attempts. If there’s a time the Pacers need Dipo to come alive, it’ll have to be in this Friday’s matchup, which is a do-or-die one for Indiana. The Pacers will have to continue taking advantage of Cleveland’s leaky interior defense after outscoring the Cavs in the paint again in Game 5, 42-32. Indiana is averaging 46.4 points in the paint in this series, sixth most among all playoff teams.
