If you thought the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to cruise to the Eastern Conference Finals as the #1 seed, the Indiana Pacers have thrown a massive wrench in that plan by taking BOTH games on the road. With the series now at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, we’ve got our best Cavaliers vs. Pacers predictions for Game 3.

Even with how crazy this series has already been, we’ve still got a best bet from our Cavaliers vs. Pacers picks for you, and we’ll even make it as valuable as possible with a guaranteed Novig promo code bonus!

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Predictions For Tonight's NBA Playoffs Game 3, 5/9

Following Game 1’s shocking upset from the Cavs’ perspective, they entered Tuesday night’s Game 2 without Darius Garland (again), Evan Mobley AND De’Andre Hunter. All three of those guys averaged at least 14 points per game this season, and yet, it didn't seem to matter.

Well, until it did. That didn’t come until about 1.1 seconds left in the entire game when Tyrese Haliburton completed the 20-point comeback to take the 120-119 win. As we prepare for Game 3, all the questions are surrounding injuries and how they are playing a role in the Cavaliers vs. Pacers odds.

Injuries are what have held Cleveland back from magical seasons like the ones they had this year. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said prior to even Game 2 that Indiana was overly physical, so will the team be able to overcome that? That’s what the best bet from our Cavaliers vs. Pacers predictions is here to help answer!
 

 

 

Cleveland Cavaliers: Dominant Donovan Mitchell

Before we get that far, Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell nearly made it so that the injury concerns weren't even such a talking point right now. He made the Pacers defense look like it did last year when they had the league-best offense but fourth-worst defense to the tune of 48 points AND nine assists.

That was even with him sitting for some of the third quarter, and he even made some NBA history, but not in the way he’d like to. It was Donovan Mitchell’s third playoff game scoring 45+ points and LOSING the game! That’s the second-most in league history, and he’d prefer not to break that record in this series. 
 

 

 

Indiana Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton Does It Again

We already noted Tyrese Haliburton’s game winner, and while it wasn’t technically a buzzer-beater, it earned him the top spot on SportsCenter’s top 10 plays. It also wasn’t the first time. Given that they were able to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks swiftly in the first round, it may not be fresh in most fans’ minds.

However, Tyrese Haliburton also put an end to Giannis Antetokounmpo with a game-ending, series-ending field goal. In fact, that was also a game in which they came back from seven down with under a minute remaining. That has happened only three times in NBA history, and the Pacers just did it twice in three games! 
 

 

 

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

Despite being on the road and still having injury question marks, Cleveland still finds themselves as the favorite according to the latest Cavaliers vs. Pacers odds at Novig:

 

 

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Best Bet: Cleveland First Quarter Money Line (-132 at Novig)

There’s no denying that Cleveland’s injury concerns have made locking in Cavaliers vs. Pacers predictions feel all but impossible. No Darius Garland means that we'd absolutely expect a better performance from Ty Jerome filling in, but that may not end up being the case.

As much as we’ve loved targeting player props thus far for the entirety of the 2052 NBA playoffs, we’re going to take a game market approach instead. While it’s not quite a standard market, we’re simply isolating the first portion of the game, which could in turn lead to a nice early payout for you!

Firstly, this same pick could be made for the first half as well, as the numbers we’re going to take you through provide nearly the same discrepancy for both markets. That said, they’re slightly better for the first quarter, so that’s our approach.

It’s also because of what we saw in Game 2 on Tuesday night, which was an electric start for the depleted Cavs. Despite being heavily undermanned, they surged out to a 32-15 first quarter lead. We also love this approach because, despite Cleveland’s incredible season, they were actually 1-3 against Indiana!

Speaking of the regular season, the Cavs were remarkable early in games, scoring the third-most points per game in the first quarter (31.2). They did so while holding opponents to the fourth-fewest points per game in the first quarter, which is the exact recipe of what we’re looking for.

Indiana was in the middle of the pack in both respects, so the best bet from our Cavaliers vs. Pacers predictions is Cleveland’s first quarter money line (-132 at Novig). 
 

 

 

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Injury Report & Starting Lineup

Of course, we’ve already noted just about all of the Cavaliers vs. Pacers injury news, as it’s such a major factor in this series. With that in mind, the expected Cavaliers vs. Pacers lineups for Game 3 should be taken with a grain of salt until official word is given shortly before tip-off:

CLE Cavaliers:

IND Pacers:

 

 

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That’s all there is to it for you to start making picks with the best prices on the market, even if you target ones other than Cavaliers vs. Pacers picks. Either way, get the ball rolling by registering today with our exclusive Novig promo code ALARM!