NBA Picks 4/10 – Cleveland Cavs @ Indiana Pacers

By Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Cleveland Cavaliers (63-16, 1st in the Eastern Conference) visit the Indiana Pacers (48-31, 4th in the Eastern Conference) tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on TNT. This is the third of four meetings between the Cavaliers and Pacers, they split the first two matchups with each team winning on the road. The road team has won four of the last five head-to-head matchups. The teams will square off again in three days on the final day of the regular season. Indiana is a 9.5-point favorite and the total is 229.5.

Cleveland pounded Chicago 135-113 at home in their previous game on Tuesday night. The win clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the Cavaliers. This will mark the fourth time Cleveland has finished as the top seed in the East and its the first time they’ve done it without LeBron James. The last time Cleveland finished first in the East they won the franchise’s first NBA title in 2016. 

Darius Garland scored a game-high 28 points (10-17 FG, 6-10 3Pt, 2-2) and added five assists over 29 minutes in Cleveland’s win over Chicago. Evan Mobley amassed 21 points (8-18 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block across 29 minutes. Ty Jerome registered 18 points (7-11 FG, 3-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT) and five assists in 21 minutes off the bench. Donovan Mitchell missed the game due to a left ankle sprain. 

Indiana held off the pesky Washington Wizards 104-98 in their previous game on Tuesday night. The 104 points was a season-low in a win for the Pacers. Paskal Siakam produced a game-high 24 points (11-19 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), ten rebounds, three assists and two steals across 34 minutes. Tyrese Haliburton added 22 points (5-11 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 9-11 FT), six assists and a steal in 31 minutes. 

GAME STORYLINES: CLEVELAND

In the summer of 2018, LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent for the second time in his career. It appeared as if Cleveland would be in for a long stretch of futility after they failed to make the playoffs for four straight seasons from 2018-19 through 2021-22. Everything changed when the Cavaliers traded for Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell in September 2022. Acquiring the then 25-year-old Mitchell was a gamble due to Mitchell having just two years left on his contract and speculation pointing towards him signing with a big market team as a free agent in 2024.

Donovan Mitchell’s first two seasons in Cleveland resulted in a tremendous amount of success. Mitchell continued to play at an All-Star level while leading the Cavs to back-to-back playoff appearances and its first playoff series win without LeBron James since 1993. Mitchell’s excellent individual and team success likely led him to sign a three-year, $150 million extension with Cleveland in July prior to the season.

With Donovan Mitchell signed through the 2028-29 season and a talented core returning, the Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a historic 15-0 start to the season. They became the fourth team in NBA history to start a season 15-0. The other three teams to start 15-0 — 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitols — all made it to the NBA Finals. Cleveland’s 63 wins is their most since the 2008-09 season when a LeBron-led Cavs team finished 66-16. 

Donovan Mitchell’s individual brilliance (24 pts, 5 asts, 4.5 rebs, 1.3 stls, 3.3 threes, 44.3% from 2 in 71 gms) along with great seasons from the duo of Darius Garland (20.5 pts, 6.7 asts, 1.2 stls, 2.9 threes, 47% from 2, 40.3% from 3 in 74 gms) and Evan Mobley (18.6 pts, 9.3 rebs, 3.2 asts, 1.6 blks, 1.2 threes, 56% from 2 in 70 gms) ignited Cleveland’s historic regular season. All three players were selected as All-Stars this season. Mobley’s improvement was huge this season as he was often criticized for being soft during the first three years of his career. 

GAME STORYLINES: INDIANA

In February 2022, the Indiana Pacers parted ways with star big man Domantas Sabonis in a blockbuster trade to Sacramento for then 22-year-old guard Tyrese Haliburton. The trade was a bit of a risk for Indiana as Sabonis had established himself as a double-double machine over the previous 3.5 seasons while Haliburton was struggling to get minutes and shots in Sacramento playing alongside similarly skilled star guard De’Aaron Fox. 

The trade has ended up favoring Indiana as Tyrese Haliburton quickly established himself as one of the best guards in the NBA while leading Indiana back to the postseason. Domantas Sabonis continues to play at an elite level in Sacramento but has not experienced a lot of team success. Sacramento has only made one playoff appearance since the February 2022 trade and dealt De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio earlier this season. The direction of the Kings franchise appears to be murky at the moment. 

In his three and a half seasons with Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton was named to the All-Star game twice (2023 and 2024),  produced back-to-back 20-10 seasons and led Indiana to the Eastern Conference finals last year. Indiana’s last appearance in the Eastern Conference finals occurred in 2014 when they lost to Miami in six games. The Pacers could also win 50 games for the first time since that 2013-14 season.

Tyrese Haliburton’s numbers are down slightly this season after he got off to a slow start but he still registering a respectable 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 3 threes while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor through 72 games. Haliburton has picked up the pace of late averaging 20.4 points and 11.3 assists since the All-Star break on Feb. 20. 

The trio of Paskal Siakam (team-leading 20.4 pts, 6.9 rebs, 3.4 asts, 1.6 threes, 52% from 2, 38.8% from 3 in 77 gms), Benedict Mathurin (16 pts, 5.3 rebs, 1.4 threes, 46.2% from 2 in 70 gms) and Myles Turner (15.7 pts, 6.6 rebs, 2 blks, 2.2 threes, 48% from 2, 39.7% from 3 in 70 gms) have been excellent playing alongside Haliburton. Siakam was Indiana’s lone All-Star this year. 

THE PICK: PACERS (-9.5)

Indiana needs wins to clinch the fourth seed in the playoffs and secure home court advantage in round one. On the other hand, Cleveland will rest their three All-Stars — Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley — in this one after clinching the No. 1 seed and home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs on Tuesday night. Lay the Points and take the Pacers tonight.