Cavaliers vs Pacers

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers tonight. What are the betting odds, what lineups should we expect and what is the prediction?

Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will wall off the paint, and they are not afraid to defend in space against stretch bigs. Unfortunately for Indiana, the Cavs have a pair of versatile bigs that will make things very difficult for the Pacers. The Cavaliers are a monster at home and Vegas has caught on, so despite the Pacers playing well recently they are significant underdogs in Cleveland tonight. The Pacers have a number of really solid players in the lineup, but it all starts with Tyrese Haliburton. [shocking one-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs](https://kingjamesgospel.com/2022/12/13/1-stud-1-dud-cavs-loss-spurs-monday/) with a [beatdown of Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks](https://kingjamesgospel.com/2022/12/15/2-studs-1-dud-cavs-win-wednesday-over-mavericks/). This year the Pacers have rebounded quickly and are 15-14 this year behind excellent play from point guard Tyrese Haliburton and two-way center Myles Turner.

Donovan Mitchell scored 41 points, 28 of them in the second half to lead Cleveland to a comeback win over the Pacers.

After posting a combined six points on 2 of 6 shooting and just two rebounds in 24 minutes in his previous two appearances, Jackson had six points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the first half alone and finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Rookie Bennedict Mathurin hit a crowd-silencing 3-point shot to make it 108-103 with 6:23 to go, but the Pacers scored just four points the rest of the way and didn't have a field goal after a Nesmith bucket with 5:43 left. That meant moving 6-9 Jalen Smith back to the starting lineup and using him at the 4 next to Myles Turner at the 5. After three quarters of physical basketball, the Pacers also lost 12-7 on the glass and allowed the Cavaliers to get to the line 11 times where they made eight free throws and got just two foul shots themselves. We struggled defensively and we struggled offensively, but the ball movement just wasn't what it was. They wanted Friday's game to be a grind, but the Pacers seemed ready for their approach -- especially after losing an 87-82 rock fight to the Miami Heat on Monday -- and countered it well for about three quarters. But at the same time Mitchell was going off -- and perhaps because he was -- the Pacers seemed to lose their way entirely in the fourth quarter. Indiana attacked the rim off the bounce and with good ball movement, scoring 52 points in the paint to the Cavaliers' 32 through the first three quarters. Bickerstaff said before the game he wanted the Cavaliers to play the game at their pace. Mitchell started to find his groove with 10 points in the third quarter on 4 of 6 shooting including 2 of 4 from 3-point range. The Pacers kept Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell at least reasonably in check in the first half, holding him to 13 points on 5 of 12 shooting. He scored 18 points in the period on 5 of 6 shooting, including three 3-pointers on four attempts.

Squaring off for the first time this season, the Indiana Pacers will take on the dangerous Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. Join us for our NBA odds ...

While Mitchell is the nucleus to this roster, be on the lookout for the up-and-coming star in point guard Darius Garland and his crafty passing abilities. In fact, the Cavaliers boast the top-rated defense in all of basketball and are only letting teams score 104 points per game. Trailing the Cavs by three games overall in the Central Division, the time is now for the Pacers to make a bold statement. Also, make sure you keep your eyes peeled on the Pacers’ ability to dish out assists and get their teammates involved throughout the night. Against the Warriors, Haliburton went absolutely berserk and was a large contributor in triumph on Wednesday with 29 points on 50% shooting from deep. For the Cavaliers, Cleveland has alternated wins and losses over the course of their previous six games and will be seeking back-to-back victories for the first time since Dec.

Darius Garland had 20 points and 10 assists, and Evan Mobley finished with 16 points and nine assists for the Cavaliers. Mitchell has 11 games with at least ...

They've got so many good young players and (Kevin) Love is still capable of hitting six 3-pointers in a row off the bench.'' ''There was a lot of chirping and talking and they added a little fuel to the fire.'' Sixth overall draft pick Mathurin scored 22 points off the bench to lead Indiana, which has lost seven of its last 10. Mitchell has 11 games with at least five 3-pointers, good for second in the league behind Golden State's Stephen Curry (14). ''I love playing here, I love shooting the ball here,'' said Mitchell, who made 14 of 24 field goal attempts and was 8 of 15 beyond the arc. Cleveland improved to 13-2 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, tying Memphis for the best home record in the NBA.