There should be no lack of energy for this one. The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers were horrible in their respective Sunday outings. Indiana lost 111-102 at home against Portland, while the Cavaliers dropped a 113-99 loss at Washington.
Cleveland gets their floor general back with LeBron James suiting up after sitting out Sunday’s contest for rest. The Pacers need to find their rhythm, especially with star forward Paul George struggling with his shot.
Which of these Eastern Conference teams gets back on the win column? Read on for everything you need to know heading into this big conference showdown. Get plenty more NBA action with our complete previews for the Thunder vs. Kings and Nets vs. Clippers.
Line: Indiana Pacers (+8) at Cleveland Cavaliers (-8); total 208.5 – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Indiana Pacers (31-28)
The Indiana Pacers have been horrible at closing out back-to-backs this season. They’re 3-8 on such outings. They’ve failed to put much effort on defense, allowing 106.1 points per games on the second end of back-to-backs compared to 99.2 points per game with at least in between games.
The Pacers may be in more trouble if Paul George continues to struggle. The Pacers small forward was held to 11 points on 3 of 15 shooting in a 111-106 home loss to Cleveland on February 1. He struggled with his shot Sunday, making 4 of 15 shots for 11 points. But expect George to have plenty of energy in this game. He’s made 47 percent of his field goals in his last three games against Eastern Conference teams.
George will get plenty of help from shooting guard Monta Ellis. He had a team-high 18 points Sunday but shot 6 of 17. He’ll be fired up to bring the energy to Quicken Loans Arena after the Pacers’ horrible outing yesterday. Ellis is averaging 19.5 points per game in the first two meetings against Cleveland this season.
The Pacers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games.
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-17)
LeBron James will be back to give the Cleveland Cavaliers plenty of much-needed energy. The Cavs looked stale in their 113-99 loss to Washington on Sunday as James was given a day off to rest. But they still had a pretty solid outing from Kyrie Irving. The Cavs point guard had a game-high 28 points on 9 of 20 shooting (4 of 8 from three).
Expect the rest of the Cavaliers to make up for their horrible outings. Richard Jefferson was just 1of 3 in 33 minutes. Tristan Thompson had just two rebounds; and Iman Shumpert went 4 of 12 (1 of 6 from downtown) leading all players with 34 minutes on the floor. Of the three, Thompson should be a beast in this game. He’s averaged in double-double figures in two games against the Pacers this season (15 points and 10 rebounds per game).
You can also expect Kevin Love to step up against Indiana. He’s averaged 20.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game against the Pacers this season. He should be the three-point shooting threat that James could utilize with his playmaking. James has averaged five assists per game against the Pacers this season.
James won’t just be out there to help out his teammates. He can also dominate the Pacers himself. He’s averaging an outstanding 26.5 points per game against the Pacers this season. He’s also a regular thorn on their sides. Indiana has lost 13 straight games at Cleveland with James in the lineup dating back to his second year in the league.
The Cavs have won eight of their last 10 at home, but are just 5-5 ATS in those games.
Writer’s Prediction
Cleveland wins with James at the helm. But they can’t stop the Pacers from covering +8.
