The Cleveland Cavaliers just barely squeaked by the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs. CJ Miles had a chance to win the game for the visitors, but his 14-footer ended up missing as time expired. However, the win doesn’t alleviate many of the concerns that Cavaliers fans must have following a disappointing regular season. Cleveland isn’t putting away teams like it was last season and that gives Indiana a real chance heading into Game 2.
This war on the floor will go down Monday, April 17, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena. The game will be televised live on TNT. We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA playoff schedule.
Odds Analysis
Cleveland -7.5, O/U 210
The Pacers easily covered the nine-point spread in Game 1, notching their seventh straight cover. Even though they weren’t a good ATS team on the road this season, with a 17-25 ATS record away from home, they did cover two of their three games in Cleveland.
Cleveland has been unable to cover many spreads over the tail end of the season. The Cavs are 5-11 ATS over their last 16 games, including the postseason, and have lacked the same drive that led to them being crowned champions last season. Seven of their last nine games have gone over.
Player to Watch
There’s no question about who the go-to guy is for Indiana. Paul George was on the court for 41 minutes against Cleveland in Game 1 and led the Pacers with 29 points. He was on fire from deep, nailing six of eight three-point attempts and filled out the stat sheet nicely with five rebounds and seven assists to boot.
It was a bit of a surprise that George didn’t get the last shot against the Cavs on Saturday and he expressed as much after the game. Even though he did struggle against Cleveland during the regular season, hitting just 41.6 percent of his field goals, there isn’t a solid second option with the game on the line. Look for him to have the ball in his hands at all times late if the game is close.
Key Stat
Both the Pacers and the Cavaliers have been among the best in the league from downtown this year. Indiana finished the season fourth in the NBA in three-point percentage, knocking down 37.6 percent of its treys, with George and Miles leading the way by hitting 39.3 percent and 41.3 percent respectively. Miles especially has been great against the Cavs this season, hitting 61.8 percent from the floor and 56 percent from three.
As good as Indiana has been though, Cleveland has been better in this area. The Cavaliers are second in the NBA in three-point percentage, knocking down 38.4 percent of their threes a game, with three of their main contributors all hitting better than 40 percent of their attempts. Kyle Korver has been particularly lethal since joining the team, hitting 48.5 percent from beyond the arc, but he was a non-factor in the opening game of the series.
Free NBA ATS Picks
If Cleveland is going to cover the spread this time around, it has to start playing defense. The Cavaliers have not been good on the defensive end this season, allowing 107.2 PPG, and the pieces this team added are great shooters, but not as good when it comes to manning up and locking down an opponent.
LeBron played a lot more minutes than expected during the regular season and will probably play 40-plus a night in every postseason game that is close. With that type of toll, there is a legitimate question about whether or not his level of play might go down. He was great in Game 1, but how much of a surprise would it be to see him have some issues down the line? Bet the upset here.
NBA Odds: Pacers 111, Cavaliers 106
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