The Cleveland Cavaliers did not have the smoothest of regular seasons, finishing as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the playoffs. Even though they are in a 4-5 matchup that is traditionally hard-fought, the Cavaliers are heavy favorites to knock off the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the postseason.
The Cavs have the home court advantage in the first round and will aim to set the tone early in this series with an easy win. The Pacers aren’t getting much respect but were only a few games worse than Cleveland in the regular season and will aim to be competitive.
The first game could tell us a lot about how this series will go, so tune in for NBA basketball gambling.
Game 1 of this NBA Playoff Series is at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 15, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Phop. The contest will be nationally televised on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are listed as 6.5-point favorites in the opening game of this series. The majority of the action is on Cleveland to cover the spread. The Cavs are -290 favorites on the moneyline while the Pacers are listed as the +237 underdogs. The scoring total is listed at 216.5 points, with the “over” the more popular pick.
Cleveland is the -601 favorite to claim this first-round series, while the Pacers are the +448 underdogs. The majority of the action is on Indiana to win the series, as those NBA betting odds are definitely intriguing.
The Cavs are listed at +670 to win the NBA title. The Pacers have much longer odds at +14500 as few believe they will even make it out of the first round in NBA basketball betting.
Key Stat
Two. That’s the number of wins that separated the Cavaliers and the Pacers in the regular season. Cleveland secured 50 victories, while Indiana had 48.
So while the spread is pretty big, don’t be surprised if the Pacers can make this a competitive series. Cleveland does have a big advantage in Game 1 because of the home court.
The Cavs won 29 of 41 games in Cleveland this season while the Pacers were only one game above 500 on the road. The regular season is not always a perfect indicator of postseason success, and the presence of LeBron James alone makes Cleveland the favorite, but don’t dismiss the fact that Indiana was nearly as good as Cleveland this year.
Player to Watch
Kevin Love -- The Cavaliers have won five of six since Love’s return from his concussion. The talented power forward finished the season on a high note, notching two double-doubles in those final games.
Love is averaging 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds on the season for the Cavs. And, although he’s often overshadowed by LeBron James, he’s an integral part of the team’s success.
The veteran center has played well against the Pacers this season, scoring a double-double in three of the four matchups between the teams. After missing 21 straight games with a left hand injury this season, the Cavs are thrilled to have a healthy Love back in the lineup.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Cavaliers severely underperformed projections during the regular season, and once again it looks as if the oddsmakers are believing in them too much. Of course James is a phenomenal player, but the supporting cast is shaky.
The Cavs should win this first game as well as the series, but continually putting money down on the Pacers to cover the spreads is smart. Indiana has enough talent to hang around in the majority of games and win a couple in NBA basketball betting.
NBA ATS Pick: Cavaliers 110, Pacers 105
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