Cleveland at Indiana
Time: 6 PM CT
Spread: IND -12.5
Total: 207.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Indiana Pacers have won seven-straight games to improve to 20-10. It will host the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers at 6 PM (CT) as 12.5-point favorites. The over/under is set at 207.5 points according to NBA oddsmakers at 5dimes.
IND
The Indiana Pacers have been red-hot over the past two weeks. As winners of its past seven, it welcomes the Cleveland Cavaliers. Indiana guard Victor Oladipo has been consistently good over past three games, but in the last victory over the New York Knicks, he was great. Oladipo finished with 26 points, seven assists, and eight rebounds while shooting 7 of 13 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range in the 110-99 win. Myles Turner also had a strong game with 24 points, six rebounds and two blocks, as the Pacers improved to 11-4 at home this season.
Oladipo leads the team in scoring at 20.8 points per game,while averaging 5.1 assists per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. He should be a lock to make the All-Star game as a reserve. Now 26, Oladipo is really entering his prime after floundering in Orlando and Oklahoma City prior to returning to his home state of Indiana where his career has really taken off. Turner has had his struggles this season, though, as a player initially pegged to be something of a franchise talent. Turner is averaging just 12.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Indiana’s No. 2 scorer is Bojan Bogdanovic, who is averaging 16.5 points while shooting 48.9 percent from three-point range on his 4.4 three-point attempts per game. Domantas Sabonis is making a huge impact, too, despite only averaging 24 minutes a game. The son of Aryvdas is averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 62.2 percent from the field. The Pacers have a good assortment of depth and utilize a 10-man rotation filled with quality reserves. Tyreke Evans heads the second unit with his 10.6 points, three rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. His versatility has helped Sabonis ad Thaddeus Young. Young averages 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.8 percent from the field. The Pacers shoot an outstanding 47.5 percent from the field as a team while connecting on 37.4 percent from three-point range. Indiana is a contender in the East.
CLE
The Cleveland Cavaliers are just 7-23 and tied for last place in the Central Division. For all the bragging Tristan Thompson did about this team still being a contender, none of it has held true. Cleveland has lost four of its past six and will be in line for a high lottery pick when this season concludes.
One bright spot for Cleveland has been the play of rookie Collin Sexton. Sexton is averaging 15.3 points, three rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while having started 20 games this season. The Cavs really are not getting enough from its other top players, though. Kevin Love continues to put up ho-hum performances even after having the reigns of the team virtually handed to him. The one-time Timberwolf has been unable to recapture the form he showed in his prime but is still averaging 19 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Jordan Clarkson is the No. 2 scorer at 16.7 points per game.
Former Utah Jazz swingman Rodney Hood was expected to impress much more than 13 points per game, and the Cavs have got nice play from Tristan Thompson, who averages a double-double in his 30.3 minutes per night. Overall, one can envision this team still being right near the top had LeBron James not departed for the Lakers, but in his stead, it is a mismatched array of role players without many true alphas to guide the attack. Cleveland averages just 103.4 points per game, which simply is not enough in this high scoring season and era.
