Pacers vs. Cavaliers Prediction: Round 2 NBA Playoffs Preview

The No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers and No. 4 Indiana Pacers will begin their Round 2 series with Game 1 on Sunday at Rocket Arena on TNT.

Both teams took care of business in Round 1, setting up a compelling series. Cleveland swept the Miami Heat convincingly (+122 point differential), while Indiana only needed five games to push past the Milwaukee Bucks and begin the Giannis Antetokounmpo next team trade rumors.

The Cavs are favored to advance to the conference finals, but the Pacers could be a difficult matchup after last year’s surprising run to the ECF.

Here’s a look at the latest NBA odds for the Pacers vs. Cavaliers series and my prediction for this matchup:

Pacers vs. Cavaliers Odds: Game 1

• Pacers spread: +7.5
• Cavaliers spread: -7.5
• Total: 226.5

Pacers vs. Cavaliers Round 2 Odds

According to the latest NBA betting lines, the Cavaliers are -500 to win Round 2 for an implied probability of 83.33%. Indiana is +375 for an implied probability of 21.05%.

Pacers series price: +375
Cavaliers series price: -500

Pacers vs. Cavaliers Prediction: Series Best Bet

Based on the updated NBA playoff odds, I like over 5.5 games (-110) as my series best bet for this Round 2 matchup between the Cavaliers and Pacers.

While both teams had quick Round 1 battles, I don’t expect that to be the case with a conference finals appearance on the line. This series should take six or seven games to determine the winner.

Indiana and Cleveland faced off four times in the regular season, but only two matchups featured healthy lineups. These two teams split that home-and-home battle on Jan. 12 and Jan. 14, though the visitor won both contests.

There are many similarities between these two teams, even if the Cavaliers finished 14 games ahead of the Pacers in the East standings.

They are the top teams in the fourth quarter, with Cleveland leading the league with an average of 29.8 points per game in the final frame and Indiana ranking second at 29.1. They both have an elite offense, as the Cavs led the NBA in offensive rating this regular season and the Pacers ranked ninth (after being No. 2 last year).

While both teams have plenty of depth, they are led by an All-Star guard between Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland) and Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana).

The Cavs deserve to be the favorites after being the best team in the conference all season. But this series should be more competitive than the market suggests.

Series prediction: Over 5.5 games (-110)

Pacers vs. Cavaliers Series Schedule

Pacers vs. Cavaliers Series History

When Was the Last Time the Pacers Reached the Conference Finals?

The Pacers reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2024, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks before being swept by the Boston Celtics. Before last year, their previous trips to the conference finals were when they faced the Miami Heat in 2014 and 2013.

When Was the Last Time the Cavaliers Reached the Conference Finals?

The Cavaliers last reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2018, defeating the Boston Celtics in seven games. Between 2015 and 2018, they made it to the NBA Finals for four straight years.