LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers bring their acts to Indianapolis for the second time this season this Friday. With the season series between the Cavs and the Pacers tied at 1-1, who will get the upper-hand?
The Cavalier have LeBron James. Although the Cavaliers have struggled a bit of late, it still is hard to underestimate a team that has the best player on the planet. James and the Cavaliers are out for revenge against Indiana, which handed them a 106-102 loss at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Dec. 8. The Cavs are back in the same building this Friday, this time with Isaiah Thomas in tow. In his first three games back from hip injury, Thomas has averaged 15.0 points and 3.3 assists. He is of course capable of doing better than that, as he just put up 28.9 points per game last year with the Boston Celtics. Going back to James, the four-time MVP is generating MVP-quality numbers in his 15th season in the league with 27.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field. James scored 29 points in the December loss to Indiana and 33 in a 124-107 win at home against the Pacers on Nov. 1.
Cleveland is 7-3 SU in the last 10 games against Indiana.
It has not been that easy for Indiana over the past few games. The Pacers have lost six of their last eight games. They are coming off a 114 -106 loss at home against the surging Miami Heat. One issue for Indiana is its offense, which has been on a downswing of late. The Pacers are 9th this season in scoring but were only 24th in the past eight games with 101.9 points. Leading scorer Victor Oladipo, however, missed four games during that stretch due to a knee issue. He is back in the lineup, and he will be looking to punish Cleveland’s porous offense once more. Oladipo scored 33 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the field to go with six three-pointers, eight rebounds, and five assists back in the December game versus Cleveland. Oladipo will also have added responsibility this Saturday with Indiana starting center Myles Turner out with an elbow injury. Expect Domantas Sabonis to have an uptick in minutes with Turner sidelined. Sabonis had 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Miami.
Indiana is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 at home versus the Cavaliers.
