Cavaliers vs. Pacers Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 16 (Donovan Mitchell Pesters Indiana All Night)

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 16, 2022
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- Cleveland, Ohio
• Coverage: BSOH and BSIN

10 matchups are on the NBA's Friday, Dec. 16 schedule, including a Eastern Confernce battle between the Cleveland Cavaliers (18-11) and Indiana Pacers (15-14).

Although they've had issues winning consistently, the Pacers enter this game after securing a solid 125-119 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. The Cavaliers were victorious in their last outing, too, walking out of American Airlines Center with a 105-90 win against the Dallas Mavericks two nights ago.

Which of these Central Division foes will get the win on Friday night?

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CLE: (-320) | IND: (+260)
• Spread: CLE: -8 (-110) | IND: +8 (-110)
• Total: 222.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Cavaliers enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 222.5 points, which is the second-lowest of Friday's projected totals.

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Betting Trends

• The Cavaliers have compiled a 14-10-4 record against the spread this season.
• This year, the Pacers have won ATS in each of their three games as an underdog of 7.5 points or more.
• Cavaliers games have finished with a final combined score above the over/under 11 times this season.
• The Pacers have gone over the point total 46.4% of the time this year (13 of 28 games with a set point total).
• Cleveland sports a better record against the spread in home games (9-2-2) than it does on the road (5-8-2).
• Indiana has been better against the spread at home (9-6-0) than away (7-6-0) this year.

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Prediction & Pick

The Cavaliers have been dangerous at home over the last month or so, winning eight of their last nine outings at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. While the offense isn't always lights out at home, it hasn't mattered too much since the Cavs have held opponents to just 103.4 PPG in their own arena — the best mark in the Association.

Meanwhile, the Pacers have been inconsistent at best when they take to the road, dropping five of their last seven away games. On top of having a minus-7.0 scoring difference in that span and getting outscored by double-digits in four of those losses, Indiana also registered a 43.0% field-goal percentage in those games, which is below its already-unimpressive season average (45.5%, No. 24).

With the Cavaliers being a force at home and the Pacers constantly outplayed on the road, I have faith in Cleveland sending the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse faithful home happy.

Final Score Prediction: Cavaliers: 114 | Pacers: 104

Cavaliers vs. Pacers Best Bet

Donovon Mitchell tends to play solid basketball against the Pacers, averaging 27.2 points on .486/.450/1.000 shooting in the last five meetings. Tonight, FanDuel has set Mitchell's projected points at 27.5 and even though it might be tough for some, I see him going over that number.

For starters, Mitchell dropped 36 points in his last game against the Pacers. Even though that's the only time he's gone over 27.5 against them, he still recorded 25-plus points in four of five matchups before that, showing he's come fairly multiple times.

Plus, he's likely licking his lips at the thought of the Pacers allowing the fifth-most points to shooting guards this season. Considering how Mitchell has also hit the over on this prop in eight of his last 11 games, there's no reason why he can't do it again in front of the hometown crowd.

Bet: Donovan Mitchell Over 27.5 Points (-115)

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.