Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers March 8 NBA Betting Preview & Picks

Both teams are heading in opposite directions, with the Cleveland Cavaliers looking to get to the playoffs and the Indiana Pacers heading to the lottery.

However, both teams have been struggling as of late, with the Cavs winning just four of their last ten games and the Pacers winning just three of their last ten games.

Despite that, we should be in for an exciting NBA game!

Betting Odds & Lines

The point spread of this game at Cavaliers -3. The over/under at 222.5. 

Injuries Piling Up For Cleveland

The injury bug is hitting the Cavs recently, as they’ve now lost Jarrett Allen for an extended period of time due to a fractured finger.

Allen is a huge loss for the Cavs, as he provides excellent rim protection and rebounding for this team and is as efficient as they come with scoring the basketball, averaging just over 16 points per game on nearly 68 percent shooting.

Allen has also established himself as the perfect pick-and-roll complement to Darius Garland, as Garland creates a lot of easy looks for the Fro.

On top of Allen being out, Caris LeVert is also out due to a sprained right foot injury. LeVert hasn’t quite figured out his role yet in The Land, but when he’s right, he’s one of the best scorers in the league and also has the ability to be a playmaker for others.

Garland now appears to be healthy for the Cavs, which will be huge if they want to make the playoffs as a non play-in team. Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen, and Kevin Love will also be heavily relied upon moving forward.

This season, Cleveland is 36-25-3 against the spread and 24-38-2 on over/unders. They are 17-16 as the away team.

Pacers Players to Watch Out For

Tyrese Haliburton was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Domantas Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings, and in his first ten games with the Pacers, he’s looked every bit as the point guard of the future that the Pacers brought him in to be, as he’s averaging 18.6 points on nearly 50 percent shooting to go along with 9.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game since coming to Indianapolis.

Haliburton is a knockdown 3-point shooter but can also beat his defender off the dribble with his ability to change speeds and get to the rim.

Buddy Hield has also found new life in Indiana, as he’s averaging 20.0 points on over 46 percent shooting to go along with 5.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in 10 games.

Cavs Win

The Cavs should be able to take this game quite easily and cover the spread, as they still have enough offensive weapons to go around even with all the injuries they’re dealing with.

If they’re serious about making a run in the playoffs this season, this is a win they need to secure.

Be sure to follow betJACK on Instagram for all the latest on the Cavs during the run to the NBA Postseason!