Pacers vs Cavaliers Prediction, Odds & Game Preview 5/9/2025

The Indiana Pacers look to complete a stunning Eastern Conference Semifinals upset as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 with a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Tyrese Haliburton's buzzer-beater heroics in Game 2 capped a dramatic 8-0 run in the final minute, sending the top-seeded Cavaliers into must-win territory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

With Cleveland potentially missing key players Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De'Andre Hunter for a third straight game, Indiana has a golden opportunity to push the East's best regular-season team to the brink of elimination.

At Sporting Post, our unique prediction model brings together insights from top NBA experts.

Instead of searching through countless expert analyses online, you can rely on our predictions to capture the market's overall sentiment. We scan trusted sources, analyzing expert picks, data, and trends, while our AI assigns a confidence level to each prediction. These confidence levels are then averaged to generate an 'expert opinion' win probability—providing a data-driven reflection of the collective intelligence of the industry's leading NBA analysts.

Best NBA sportsbook promos

Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview

The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves in unfamiliar territory as they head to Gainbridge Fieldhouse down 0-2 in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers, who have shocked the top-seeded Cavs with back-to-back road upsets.

Game 2 delivered a particularly devastating blow for Cleveland when Tyrese Haliburton's buzzer-beating three-pointer capped an 8-0 Pacers run in the final minute, erasing what had been a commanding 20-point Cavaliers lead earlier in the contest.

Donovan Mitchell has been spectacular for Cleveland with 48 points in Game 2, but the potential absences of Evan Mobley, De'Andre Hunter, and Darius Garland could again loom large for a Cavs team that ranked first in offensive rating during the regular season.

The Pacers, who have now won seven of their last ten meetings with Cleveland, continue to thrive with balanced scoring—six players reached double figures in Game 2—while their sixth-ranked pace has helped push both games over the total.

Indiana's home crowd should provide additional energy for a Pacers team that has surprisingly controlled this series despite Cleveland's regular-season dominance (64-18).

With their season essentially on the line, the Cavaliers must find answers to slow down the Pacers' efficient offense (51.8% shooting in Game 2) while hoping for positive injury news ahead of this pivotal Game 3 showdown.

Key stats

1

Cleveland sits atop the Eastern Conference with a 64-18 record, making them clear favorites at home

2

Indiana holds the 4th position in the East with a 50-32 record, establishing them as a legitimate playoff contender

3

The Pacers have won 4 of their last 5 games (WLWWW), showing strong recent form

4

The Cavaliers have been inconsistent lately with a LWLWL pattern in their last five games despite their dominant overall record

Betting on the NBA?