The Cavs once again escaped by the skin of their collective teeth with a Basketball Gambling win over Indiana to take a 2-0 lead in their first round playoff series on Monday. The Cavaliers vowed to play better after an ugly win in game 1 and, considering they didn’t so much set the bar low as they buried it underground, they delivered on their word – though they once again allowed the Pacers to pull dangerously close after commanding a comfortable lead. Now the series moves to Indiana.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers Basketball Gambling Preview
Time: 7:05 PM
Venue: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Sportsbook NBA online betting odds:
Cavaliers -2½ (-110) 211 (-110) -137
Pacers +2½ (-110) 211 (-110) +117
Cleveland
Key players: LeBron James scored a modest 25 points to go with 10 rebounds and seven assists, but Kyrie Irving took the offensive initiative and lead the team with 37 points – including four three-pointers (one of which got a rise out of Indiana guard Lance Stephenson). Guard JR Smith missed the second half of the game with a left hamstring injury. Imam Shumpert had his back, but Smith hopes to return tonight.
Recent form: The Cavs have lost four of their last six games overall, but the two they have won have been right when and where it counts. Of more concern is the fact that they have lost four of their last five on the road, and only won two of their last 14 visits to Indiana.
NBA online betting odds trends: Cleveland has covered the spread in only one of the last six games. They have been slightly more successful on the road, going 3-6 ATS in the last nine games on the road. The basketball gambling total has gone over in five of the Cavs’ last six games.
Indiana
Key players: Paul George continues to go above and beyond the call of duty but has had trouble getting his teammates to toe the company line. First, CJ Miles pulled a Carlton on him by taking the last shot in game 1, and on Monday PG13 was critical of Stephenson letting his emotions get the better of him.
Recent form: The Pacers have won nine of their last 11 home games and, as seen above, 12 of their last 14 team hosting Cleveland. On the downside, they have lost their last five straight to the Cavs.
NBA online betting odds trends: Indiana may not be picking up the Ws, which is bad for them, but they have been a spread-covering machine as of late, which is good for us. The Pacers are in the midst of an eight-game winning ATS streak. Moreover, they have covered in four of their last five at home, 11 of their last 13 against the Cavaliers, and seven of their last eight times hosting Cleveland. The basketball gambling total has gone over in four of Indiana’s last five games, in four of the Pacers’ last five games when playing the Cavs, and in four of Indiana’s last six games playing at home versus Cleveland.