Indiana did what it had to over the weekend, sweeping a road trip with wins over Philadelphia and New York. Now come the top two teams in the Eastern Conference beginning Wednesday with the Cavaliers. The Pacers’ past two opponents combined for 40 victories. Their next two have 106 between them. Indy’s path to the postseason will have some roadblocks.
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SCHEDULING
The Pacers picked up wins they needed to maintain their seventh place standing in the Eastern Conference. Indy went on the road over the weekend to knock off Philadelphia on Saturday and the Knicks on Sunday. The road gets significantly more difficult for the Pacers over the next two outings with contests against the top two teams in the East, who have combined for 66 more victories than the previous two opponents. The Pacers get a home game with the Cavs then travel to Toronto on Friday.
Wednesday’s game could be a first-round playoff preview but if it isn’t and the Pacers miss the postseason party, they could look back at some frustrating losses to the Cavaliers this season. Indy lost the three previous meetings this season by a combined 13 points with the Feb. 1 contest at Bankers Life Fieldhouse going into overtime. That game resulted in a push on the betting line and the Pacers were able to cover the spread both times in Cleveland. However, Indy would like to claim a SU win to maintain its current seeding within the conference.
INJURIES
Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving sat out Sunday’s game with a sprained right ankle. He sustained the injury Friday night but continued playing and experienced some swelling and soreness. Coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t know if Irving will miss more games.
Recently, Paul George has been dealing with pain in his left ankle. When he left Sunday’s game in the third quarter, Indy led by 13 points. So George put a heat pack on his ankle thinking his night was over. It wasn’t. He had to come back and nailed the eventual game-winning shot.
KEY MATCHUP
The Pacers have some balance in their offensive attack but Paul George is the guy. Just how badly does Indy need their scoring machine? On Sunday George exited in the third quarter with his team up by 13 over the Knicks. His sore ankle was getting some attention on the bench, but he had to get back in the game as New York sliced into the deficit and eventually took the lead. George came back and hit the tie-breaking shot for his 20th point to go along with nine rebounds. The night before in Philadelphia, George also scored 20 with eight rebounds and seven assists in a win over the Sixers. George has impressive all-around numbers against the Cavs this season with 22.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. There are likely to be some holes in the Cavs defense with tired legs in their third game over four nights.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The results are fine. It’s just the path to Indiana’s Ws cannot be ignored. In both games over the weekend the Pacers lost double digit leads but held on to win the games. It wouldn’t be so bad if those games weren’t against two of the worst teams in the league. That kind of sloppy play which allowed 18 point leads against Philly and New York to evaporate won’t go over so well against the Cavaliers, the top team in the East. Indy has played Cleveland tough this season but has yet to win a game, losing three previous contests by a combined 13 points. With the Cavs playing the second of a back-to-back and for the third time in four nights, we might see a few regulars rested, part of Coach Lue’s plan to keep his team rested for the postseason. Irving is already dealing with a bum ankle and LeBron James and/or Kevin Love could get a breather, making the Pacers’ job a bit easier. And Indy remains motivated to hold onto its standing as a playoff team.
Indiana 108, Cleveland 103
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