by Daniele Cerato
in
NBA prediction
Cleveland’s difficult season seeks a necessary push to move up the Eastern Conference standings which currently sees Kenny Atkinson’s team only in eighth place and the next match for the Cavs, odds in hand, appears to be one of the most manageable there could be: away to Indiana, last and losing consecutively for almost a month (last success on 9 December 2025). In these conditions, even the absence of Donovan Mitchell for Cleveland, although important, certainly cannot represent an obstacle to victory.
The Pacers, however, will not start out beaten and, although the defeats are piling up repeatedly, the latest ones, even against quality opponents, have never been blowouts, on the contrary. However, Cleveland won the two previous seasons played against Indiana between November and December and, in the last eight games in general, it is in the black, having then only lost against very high-end teams.
The conditions to try to get back on track (after the defeat against Detroit) therefore seem to be there as well as, in the friendly arena of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, we also expect a reaction of pride from the Pacers who, let’s remember, in May last year, clearly defeated the Cavs in the Playoff series of the NBA conference semi-finals.
