Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers
Betting Preview
Indiana captured Game 1 as an 8.5-point underdog, taking a bite out of Cleveland’s home court advantage. Indiana won three of the four regular season meetings between these Central Division foes, but the last two meetings were essentially meaningless as Cleveland already had the No. 1 seed in the East secured and the Cavs had nothing to play for.
Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley did not play in either of the two April meetings, while Jarrett Allen played a combined 16 minutes in those two games. So Sunday’s Game 1 was the first full-strength meeting between these squads in a while.
RELATED: Tyrese Haliburton’s Game-Winner Lifts Pacers To 2-0 Lead Over Cavs
Player Prop to Watch
Darius Garland has not played since April 23 and he missed Sunday’s Game 1 with a foot injury. Garland’s absence has created value on Ty Jerome in the prop market, specifically his points + assists total. In the first round series against Miami, Jerome averaged 16.3 points and 4.8 assists in 23 minutes per game against the Heat.
When Garland and Donovan Mitchell both sat against Indiana at the end of the regular season on April 10, Jerome had 24 points and six assists in 26 minutes against the Pacers. Jerome’s points + assists prop opened at 16.5 at DraftKings before Game 1, and he finished with 21 points and eight assists. If Garland is limited through out the rest of the series, Jerome is very capable of filling the box score in a reserve roll off the bench.
James Bunting has written for a number of national outlets over the last decade and is currently a sports book supervisor, in addition to analyzing the odds for WagerTalk.
