The Cleveland Cavaliers (2-2) go head-to-head against the Indiana Pacers (2-2) at Quicken Loans Arena in game five of the First Round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, and will air on Fox Sports Midwest – Indiana.
Cleveland opened as a 6.5-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 205 points.
Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers ATS Prediction
In game four, James scored a game-high 32 points and the Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 104-100, covering as 2-point favorites. He also recorded 13 rebounds and seven assists. The game finished with a total of 204 points, which was just 2 points below the projected point total of 206 points. Cleveland did a terrific job of getting and making free throws (22-26; 84.6 percent). Indiana, on the other hand, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (25.0 vs. 18.2).
The sweet-shooting offense of Cleveland (third in the league with an effective field goal percentage 0.545) will square off against the mid-tier defense of Indiana (20th in effective field goal percentage allowed 0.526). The Cavaliers figure to have the advantage on that end of the court. Also, the Pacers, who rank 25th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.172), could have a tough time getting to the line against the Cavaliers, who rank second in opponents’ FTA rate (0.165).
Indiana heads into the game with records of 50-36 straight up (SU) and 49-36-1 against the spread (ATS). Pacers games have typically gone under the projected point total (60.5 percent).
Cleveland has a solid 52-34 SU record, but they are just 33-51-2 ATS. Much like Indiana, just over half of Cavaliers games have finished under the projected point total.
Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Pick
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Pacers, ATS Winner – Pacers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Indiana is 25-18 ATS on the road with 26 unders, 16 overs and 1 push.
At home, Cleveland is 13-29-1 ATS with 23 unders, 19 overs and 1 push.
When allowing under 100 points, Indiana is 28-4 and Cleveland is 17-5.
The Cavaliers are 50-18 when they reach the century mark, while the Pacers are 39-17.
Indiana ranks second in steals per game (8.8) while Cleveland ranks 23rd (7.1).
The Cavaliers rank third in blocks allowed per game (4.1) while the Pacers rank 24th (5.2).
Cleveland ranks fifth in three pointers attempted per game (32.1) while Indiana ranks 26th (24.6).
The Pacers rank second in points off turnovers per game (18.3) while the Cavaliers rank 18th (16.3).
Indiana ranks 12th in assists allowed per game (23.0) while Cleveland ranks 28th (25.6).
The Pacers rank 12th in points in the paint per game (44.8) while the Cavaliers rank 21st in points allowed in the paint per game (47.0).
Indiana ranks fifth in fast break points per game (14.7) while Cleveland ranks 13th (12.4).
The Pacers rank 18th in second chance points per game (12.0) while the Cavaliers rank 25th (11.0).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Indiana is 2-2-1 ATS with 5 unders.
Cleveland is 1-3-1 ATS with 5 unders over their last five games.
The Pacers have been outscored by an average of 2.6 points in their last five games. On the season, Indiana has defeated opponents by an average of 1.5 points.
During their last five games, the Cavaliers have scored an average of 94.4 points per game (15.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 99.4 points per game (9.9 below their season average).
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