The Cleveland Cavaliers are hosting the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night in Game 2 of their second-round series. Indiana won Game 1 and stole home-court advantage against the top-seeded Cavs on Sunday, and Cleveland will be without three key players — Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter — Tuesday night.
Andrew Nembhard and Tyrese Haliburton combined for 45 points in the Pacers’ Game 1 win, which improved Indiana to 5-1 in these playoffs. The Cavs got a game-high 33 points from Donovan Mitchell but missed Darius Garland, who was sidelined again with a toe injury.
Cavaliers vs. Paces Game 2 info
Time: 7 p.m. ET | Date: Tuesday, May 6
Location: Rocket Arena — Cleveland
TV channel: TNT | Live stream: Max
Odds (via BetMGM): Cavaliers -5.5, O/U 228.5
Cavaliers vs. Pacers Game 2 pick
How on Earth are the Cavaliers still favorites with Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter all now listed as out? Even if they play, they’re probably going to be operating at less than 100%. These teams have been basically even since Jan. 1, with the Cavaliers having only a single win over Indiana in that time frame (the Cavs went 35-14, the Pacers went 34-14). The Pacers covered against the Celtics in three of their four losses in the Eastern Conference finals a year ago. This is not a team that frequently gets blown out in high-stakes games. They just won Game 1 in Cleveland. It came with some pretty favorable shooting variance, but with all of the health issues involved here, I’ll gladly take Indiana to cover. The Pick: Pacers +5.5
