After it seemed likely that the Cleveland Cavaliers would eventually make a deal by Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline, it was no surprise when they made a deal over the weekend with the Indiana Pacers for Caris LeVert. LeVert had been a rumored trade target for the Cavaliers for a while, and by that point, it appeared to be a foregone conclusion that a trade could be made, to some extent.
That deal should help ease the workload on Darius Garland, who returned from a four-game absence because of back soreness on Wednesday in Cleveland’s win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Cavs did their part to withstand Spurs runs in that one, and had a few of their own, most notably in the third quarter.
LeVert himself came off the bench and had 11 points, albeit on 4-of-11 shooting, but we saw some of what he can do, and his ball and man movement were productive. It’ll take some time to get him acclimated, so we’ll see if he eventually starts.
Looking at what’s to come for the Cavaliers on the weekend, they’ll have the first leg of their latest back-to-back at LeVert’s last team, in the Pacers, a fellow Central Division squad, on the road on Friday night.
The Pacers look to be a club headed for a full-rebuild, as they recently traded Domantas Sabonis, most notably, for Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, with other stuff involved from both.
It’ll take time for Haliburton, realistically, to get going with Indiana, but he has the makings of a foundational piece moving forward it seems, and it’ll be intriguing to see how he does versus Cleveland in this one.
So what do you need to know about this Cavs-Pacers contest, and how to bet?
Given how Indiana will be working in Haliburton, and they look to be a team retooling, and have often struggled defensively with how many injuries they’ve had this season, I would expect Cleveland to have their way here.
Sure, the Cavaliers may start slow once again, but with Garland seemingly much, much healthier after his rest, I’d think he’ll get the team going in playing through the bigs, who should have a big advantage here, and he’ll clean up his giveaways. Garland had six turnovers on Wednesday versus San Antonio; even still, that could’ve been largely due to rust.
The point is, with Indiana still being without a number of key guys, the Cavaliers are the clear favorite here, and the betting info demonstrates that.
Cavaliers-Pacers: Odds, spread and over/under
According to our partners at WynnBet, the Cavaliers are favored by a big 7-point spread over the Pacers in this one.
The over/under total for both clubs here is 214.5, with that mark being at 110.5 for Cleveland, and 103.0 for Indiana.
Cavs-Pacers: Projected starters and injury report
Pacers starters: Tyrese Haliburton/Keifer Sykes, Lance Stephenson, Chris Duarte, Oshae Brissett, Goga Bitadze
Cavs starters: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade/Cedi Osman, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Pacers injuries: TJ Warren (out, foot); Myles Turner (out, foot); T.J. McConnell (out, wrist); Malcolm Brogdon (questionable, Achilles); Isaiah Jackson (questionable, ankle); Jalen Smith (questionable, recent trade acquisition); Ricky Rubio (out for season, knee).
Cavs injuries: Lauri Markkanen (out, ankle); Collin Sexton (out for season, knee).
Cavaliers-Pacers: Prediction
Simply put, with Sabonis out the door now and with the youth of the Pacers, the Cavaliers bigs should have a considerable advantage here.
Oshae Brissett is no slouch defensively, and I’m not suggesting he’s not capable on the other end in extended minutes; I’d just expect Evan Mobley to have his way here. The same goes for Jarrett Allen, and I’d expect Allen to get Indy in foul trouble with Myles Turner (who didn’t get traded ultimately) out still.
Mobley’s looking to have another quality game in the scoring after he did versus San Antonio, following a tough week last week in that way, even with contributions in other ways. I believe he will get plenty of touches here, too, and will find the cutters/shooters when doubles come.
On the defensive end, I still honestly wouldn’t expect Malcolm Brogdon to go in this one, and even if so, he’ll inherently have rust.
Also, while Haliburton’s Indy debut is definitely a storyline to watch in this one, as we hit on, it’s tough to know what to expect for him very early on with them. So whether he starts or comes off the bench initially, there could be miscommunications.
And lastly, overall, I’d imagine playing his former team, LeVert will find ways to get to his spots, and rebound from Wednesday’s game, giving Cleveland a spark.
The Cavaliers, as a last bit of game background here, go to 35-20-1 against the spread here, based on how we believe this one turns out as they pull away. As has been typical, the under plays out as well.
Prediction: Cavs 111, Pacers 98
The Bet: Cavs (-7), UNDER
Cavaliers-Pacers: How to watch
This game will be streaming on Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Midwest, to go with Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southwest, for those subscribed and in the respective markets.
As an alternative for fans in-market or for those out of market, NBA League Pass will suffice.
Cavs upcoming schedule:
After this third Pacers game, the Cavaliers will hop on a flight to Philadelphia, where they take on the 76ers for the first time this season in the second leg of a back-to-back on Saturday night. That’s the first of four meetings with Joel Embiid and the Sixers this season, and it’s unclear if James Harden will go then, as he’s dealing with a hamstring injury, but Cleveland facing that new-look Sixers club post-blockbuster deal involving Ben Simmons, in particular, will have its share of storylines.
Following that game, Cleveland will take on the Atlanta Hawks on the road on Tuesday, where they will try to avenge their last loss to them, where Trae Young stole one, largely by his lonesome in a game where Atlanta was so shorthanded with COVID-19-related absences. That’ll be Cleveland’s last game before hosting the 2022 All-Star festivities.
From there, the first game for Cleveland post-All-Star break is a road contest at the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 24. That’s the third of four meetings for Cleveland with Detroit, who largely controlled things following the first quarter in their last meeting there, which was really tough to watch with the Pistons being in full-rebuild mode.