Something’s gotta give. Cleveland and Indiana will put their winning streaks on the line when they lock horns this coming Wednesday in a pivotal NBA clash. Both teams are playing some terrific defense of late so expect a low-scoring encounter between the two sides.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this Eastern Conference matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our Champions League previews of Real Madrid vs. Wolfsburg and PSG vs. Manchester City.
The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to four games with an impressive 109-80 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Six players scored in double-figures for the Cavs who maintained their 3.5-game lead atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Key to the Cavs’ resurgence has been their incredible offense. The Cavs are averaging 109.5 points over their last four games. That’s way above their season average of 104.2 points. That sizzling offense was in full display Tuesday against the Bucks where they shot a solid 54.7 percent from the field.
Cleveland will look to keep the momentum going when it takes on Indiana later tonight. The Cavs will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well against the Pacers of late. The Cavaliers have won their last four meetings with Indiana, beating them by an average of four points. The Pacers have covered the spread, though, in those four games.
The Cavs are 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS in their last 10 road games.
The Indiana Pacers extended their winning streak to two games with a nerve-wracking 92-87 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night. Paul George scored 20 points, including the tiebreaking jumper with 23.6 seconds left, to help the Pacers preserve their two-game advantage over ninth-place Chicago in the team standings.
Key to the Pacers’ late-season charge has been their excellent play on the defensive end. The Pacers are allowing an average of just 94.5 points over their last two games. That’s way below their season average of 100.4 points allowed per game. That impregnable defense was in full display Tuesday against the Knicks where they held New York to just 87 points on 34.4 percent shooting from the floor. Indiana improved to 16-0 this season when holding teams below 90 points.
Next up for the surging Pacers is a clash with Eastern Conference powerhouse Cleveland. Frank Vogel’s men will be confident of their chances against the Cavaliers as they have fared extremely well at home this season. The Pacers are 23-15 at Conseco Fieldhouse this campaign. That being said, they will face a stern test against the Cavs who own the league’s third-best defense. The Cavs are allowing just 97.8 points per game this season.
The total has gone under in the Pacers’ last five home games.
