Pacers Favored Over Shorthanded Cavaliers in Central Division Clash

The Indiana Pacers will look to solidify their playoff positioning when they host the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night in a pivotal Central Division clash.

The Cavaliers have been decimated by injuries lately, with star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland along with big man Evan Mobley all currently sidelined. Their absences have caught up to Cleveland, as they’ve dropped 4 of their last 6 games and now sit just percentage points ahead of the streaking Pacers in the standings.

Indiana comes in having won 4 of 6 themselves, led by the stellar play of guard Tyrese Haliburton. Though Haliburton missed some time with an injury earlier this year, he has regained his All-Star form down the stretch, averaging 21.5 points and 10.8 assists over his last 10 games.

The young and athletic Pacers seem to matchup well against the depleted Cavs. In their first two meetings this season, Indiana was able to control the pace and exhaust Cleveland’s short bench on their way to a pair of double-digit victories.

The betting markets have taken notice of the situational mismatch, installing the Pacers as 8-point home favorites for Monday’s tilt according to the latest odds. That’s a sizeable number for an Indiana team that was the underdog in both prior meetings.

However, bettors seem to think it’s justified given Cleveland’s lengthy injury report. Over 65% of public bets have come in on the Pacers to cover the inflated spread.

For the Cavaliers to pull off the upset, they will need huge performances from their role players and ancillary scorers. Guys like Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro and Ricky Rubio will likely need to combine for 50+ points while also defending at a high level to make up for the absence of their stars.

While that’s certainly a tall task, this young Cleveland team has risen to the occasion before when undermanned this season. They nearly knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks without Mitchell and Mobley just last week.

Ultimately though, Indiana’s depth, athleticism and homecourt advantage make them strong favorites to snap Cleveland’s brief two-game winning streak. A Pacers win would pull them into a virtual tie with the Cavaliers for fourth place in the East as the regular season winds down.

For bettors, laying the hefty number with the Pacers is a bit risky given their lack of marquee wins this year. But the trends seem to indicate this line could climb even higher as money shows for the home side.

Regardless of the result, this game will serve as a measuring stick game for both teams as they jockey for postseason position and higher playoff seeding. Every game takes on more meaning at this point of a tightly contested campaign.