Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers Betting Odds, Analysis, NBA Pick
The Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers (35-15) will seek their fourth consecutive victory Wednesday when they visit the streaking Indiana Pacers (29-22) as small road favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.
The Pacers are tied with the Boston Celtics for the second-longest active winning streak in the NBA at seven games, behind only the 11 won by the Miami Heat.
Point spread: The Cavaliers opened as three-point favorites; the total is at 216, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).
NBA pick, via OddsShark computer: 107.6-106.2 Cavaliers (NBA picks on every game)
Why the Cavaliers can cover the spread
All basketball bettors know that no team in the East can beat the Cavaliers when they are properly motivated and at full strength, the Pacers included. Indiana has beaten Cleveland in the past two meetings at home, but LeBron James missed both of them, making his team an underdog each time.
The Cavs have covered the spread in winning their last three games overall, including the first two games of a four-game road trip that ends with a visit to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
Why the Pacers can cover the spread
Regardless of James' absence in the last two meetings, the Pacers have still split the previous eight games in the series straight up, going a perfect 8-0 against the spread, according to the OddsShark NBA Database. That is a pretty remarkable betting trend, no matter how you look at it, and should give Indiana plenty of confidence heading into this matchup.
During the team's winning streak, defense has been the difference, as opponents have scored just an average of 96.3 points in failing to cover five of seven.
Smart pick
This is the first game of a back-to-back for Cleveland, so it will be interesting to see how James and his teammates play here. The Cavs have thrived under this scenario over the past year, winning the first game 14 of the last 16 times and going 11-5 ATS. The mindset has been to get far enough ahead of their opponents, then rest starters late in games for the following night.
While the Pacers have been playing well recently, they were just a .500 team before their winning streak. Look for Cleveland to roll past Indiana on the way to OKC with another easy win and cover at sports betting sites away from home.
Betting trends
Cleveland is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games.
Cleveland is 0-5 ATS in its last five games when playing Indiana.
The total has gone under in five of Indiana's last six games at home.
All NBA lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
