Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Game 5 Odds, Analysis, NBA Betting Pick

The fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking to become the first team in this Eastern Conference first-round playoff series to win consecutive games Wednesday when they host the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers as solid home favorites for Game 5.

The Cavaliers tied the series Sunday with a 104-100 win over the Pacers in Game 4, covering the spread for the first time in the series.

NBA point spread: The Cavaliers opened as 6.5-point favorites; the total is at 205, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 103.3-100.6, Cavaliers (NBA picks on every game)

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Why the Pacers can cover the spread

The last three games have all been decided by four points or less, and Game 1 was the biggest margin of victory for either team, with the Pacers earning a 98-90 upset win as 7.5-point road underdogs.

In other words, Indiana has yet to get blown out, which would obviously help explain why the line is slightly lower for Game 5.

Cleveland has also managed to win by as many as seven points only once in the past 13 meetings, according to the OddsShark NBA Database, going 8-5 straight up and 3-9-1 against the spread in those games, with seven of them decided by six points or less.

Why the Cavaliers can cover the spread

The Cavaliers could easily be down 3-1 heading home but instead held on for a huge victory in Game 4 to even things up. They got a better offensive effort from other starters besides LeBron James (32 points), with Kyle Korver and J.R. Smith combining to score 30 on eight three-pointers and six free throws.

They also got to the free-throw line twice as many times as Indiana and scored 14 more points at the charity stripe, which was a significant factor as well.

As long as Cleveland can stay aggressive, the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions will be up 3-2 heading to Game 6.

Smart betting pick

The Pacers may seem like an easy pick here based on how competitive they have been in this series, but the Cavaliers are like a giant who was just woken up when they trailed this series 2-1 going into Game 4.

James is simply too good to let Indiana beat him, no matter who head coach Tyronn Lue puts around him in the starting lineup.

The best player in the world will make sure he carries Cleveland to a Game 5 win and cover.

NBA betting trends

Indiana is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games.

Indiana is 5-1 ATS in its last six games on the road.

Cleveland is 1-4 ATS in its last five games.

All NBA odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.