The Cleveland Cavaliers may have hit a lull at the end of the regular season, but they are looking like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference once again now that the playoffs are here. The second-seeded Cavs will aim to finish the sweep of the Indiana Pacers when the teams face off this weekend.
While all of the games have been close, Cleveland has managed to make the plays down the stretch to take a commanding 3-0 lead. The Cavs may be slight favorites to win Game 4, although since it’s in Indiana the Pacers figure to put up a good fight despite the daunting series odds.
Cleveland would love to finish this series off quickly and rest until the next opponent it known, while the Pacers will look to extend their season by at least a couple more days.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, April 23, 2017, at 1 p.m. ET at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will be televised live on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Sunday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Cavaliers are 54-31 straight up and 37-46-2 against the spread on the year. They have played in 42 road games and have covered in 18 of those, including last time out. Cleveland is 32-36-2 against the spread as the favorite this season.
The Pacers are 42-43 straight up and 41-44 against the spread on the season. They have played in 42 home games on the season, covering in 23 of them. Indiana is 20-24 against the spread as the underdog on the season.
Cleveland was a 1.5-point favorite in Game 3, and while it looked exceptionally unlikely at halftime, the Cavs covered the spread with strong play down the stretch. The 119-114 final easily surpassed the scoring total of 210.
Key Stat
25. That’s how many points Cleveland was down by at the half, as it seemed like the Pacers were going to pull within a game in the series. LeBron James changed that thought, as he had an incredible 28 points, seven assists, six rebounds and zero turnovers in the second half alone to rally the Cavaliers back.
Cleveland made up 18 points in the third quarter and then outscored the Pacers 35-23 in the final quarter to claim the win. The Cavaliers scored 70 points after halftime and it has to be a demoralizing loss for a Pacers team which thought it was back in this series.
James finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, and Cleveland set an NBA record by rallying from such a big deficit. Paul George was good for the Cavs, finishing with 36 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but he didn’t get enough help.
Letdown Situation
While there may be concern the air is completely out of the sails of the Pacers, this one should actually work the other way. The Cavaliers are up 3-0 and feeling great about pulling out the win last time out.
There will be a natural letdown, while Indiana will try to win one on its home court. Cleveland is going to win this series, but for betting purposes, the motivation may not be there in Game 4, which gives the advantage to the Pacers.
Free NBA ATS Pick
James showed why he is still the best player in the world in Game 3, taking over with a monster performance. He should play well again, but Indiana should be able to put together a showing good enough to grab the win.
The spread should be small again in favor of Cleveland, but George should lead the way to the upset in this one. Many think this series will be a sweep, but the Pacers are going to scratch and claw to get a victory.
NBA Odds: Pacers 105, Cavaliers 102
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