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The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers meet at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a highly anticipated Eastern Conference matchup. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Cavaliers-Pacers prediction and pick.
The Cavaliers are coming off a massive win over the Chicago Bulls after losing to the Sacramento Kings before that. At 63-16, the Cavs have secured the East's best record and will be the No. 1 seed in the conference when the playoffs start. It's a good thing they did, and the regular season is ending when it is because the Boston Celtics are playing very well also. The Cavs have the Pacers twice and the New York Knicks to end the season. These three games don't matter for Cleveland, but I'm sure they will still want to compete against potential playoff matchup opponents.
The Pacers will host this game before ending the regular season in Cleveland. Indiana has a chance at moving up to third place in the East. They are two games behind the Knicks but have to deal with the Cavs twice. It's unlikely the Pacers will, but a win on Thursday night puts them in a position to do so. NY is at Detroit for a tough battle at the same time. Indiana has won five straight games and eight of their last 10. They have beaten the Denver Nuggets and Kings on this winning streak.
Here are the Cavaliers-Pacers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers-Pacers Odds
Cleveland Cavaliers: +9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +320
Indiana Pacers: -9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -420
Over: 232.5 (-110)
Under: 232.5 (-110)
How To Watch Cavaliers vs. Pacers
Time: 7:00 ET/4:00 PT
TV: TNT, Max, TruTV
Article Continues Below
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Why the Cavaliers Will Cover the Spread/Win
The Cavaliers are not really in a position to cover this spread in this matchup. They have nothing to play for. Donovan Mitchell is dealing with a minor ankle injury and won't play. He didn't play against Chicago, either. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus are also out for this game. Jarrett Allen will play as the only starting remaining in the lineup. He will dominate the stat sheet, but he won't do enough to give his team a chance to win. The Cavs, when healthy, are a very talented team and an NBA Finals contender, but the Pacers are playing very well and should try and win big at home.
The Cavaliers are 46-32 -1 against the spread and 50-29-0 on over/unders.
Why the Pacers Will Cover the Spread/Win
Ben Sheppard is a game-time decision, and he may be the only player on the injury report for this game. The Pacers are hot. They will try and keep their momentum going for the postseason. They got hot at this time last year and rode that all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. They met the Celtics but couldn't beat them. Tyrese Haliburton was hurt, but the Pacers have a much better team this time around. Pascal Siakam is playing great and is leading the team in scoring at 20.4 per game.
As long as the Pacers continue to play their style of basketball and play quickly, they should cover this spread. The Cavs won't be playing for anything, and the Pacers can take advantage of that.
Final Cavaliers-Pacers Prediction & Pick
Neither team is on a back-to-back, so I expect the Over to cash in this one. There shouldn't be much defense played in this game. It will be high scoring.
Final Cavaliers-Pacers Prediction & Pick: Over 232.5 (-110)
