Cavaliers vs. Pacers Prediction
The Cleveland Cavaliers established a big early lead and then held off a rally by the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 to even the series at a game apiece. Will Cleveland take control of the series tonight in Indiana?
Game Snapshot
711 Cleveland Cavaliers at 712 Indiana Pacers
Friday, March 20, 2018
Bankers Life Fieldhouse at 7PM ET
TV: ESPN
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the line is set as a pick’em. The over-under is set at 209.5. As of Friday afternoon, 55 percent of public bets are coming in on host Indiana. Check out our NBA Public Betting Page for the latest information.
LeBron has monster game
It was apparent from the tip-off of Game 2 that the 98-80 upset loss by Cleveland at home in Game 1 to Indiana did not sit well will LeBron James. He outscored the entire Pacers team in the first quarter through 12 minutes as the Cavs led 33-18 before holding on for a 100-97 victory. LeBron accounted for 46 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals by the time it was over. The Cavs only had two other players in double figures as Kevin Love scored 15 and Kyle Korver added 12.
Lineup changes work
Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue inserted Korver and JR Smith into the starting lineup for Game 2 and it paid immediate dividends as the hosts established a 22-4 advantage in the blink of an eye. Korver was 4-of-8 from 3-point range and pulled down three rebounds in 31 minutes. Smith ended with only five points, but helped keep Pacers star Victor Oladipo a little more in check this game while also spreading the court on offense to allow LeBron to work his magic.
NBA Betting Trends
Cleveland
The Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games. The under is 4-0-1 in the last five meetings.
Indiana
The Pacers are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 home games versus Cleveland. Indiana is 15-5-1 ATS in the last 21 meetings overall.
Prediction:
Indiana seems to match up very well with Cleveland and has done very well in the series for years. Even in the Game 2 loss, the Pacers were an 8-point underdog and had a truly awful start but managed to come back and were a Darren Collison missed 3-pointer away from tying the score with 25 seconds left. So now that Indiana is returning home, this seems like a good spot to stick with the home team and fade LeBron.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: INDIANA PACERS PICK’EM