Tip-off: Friday, 7:35 p.m. ET
Line: Cleveland -11.0, Total: 201.5

The Cavaliers go for their 15th straight home victory when they host the Pacers Friday.

The Pacers went into Chicago on Wednesday and lost 103-86 as 1-point underdogs. Indiana has now lost three straight games and the team has also failed to cover in five of its past six. The Pacers have not scored 100+ points in each of the past three games and they have allowed over 100 points in three of the past four. They’ll need to improve on both ends of the floor very quickly or they could fall out of the playoff picture in the East. The Cavaliers head into this game after beating the Nets 117-92 as 12-point favorites in Cleveland Wednesday. The Cavs have won five of their past six games SU and have covered in four of their past five. Over the past three seasons, the Pacers are 9-2 SU and 7-4 ATS in this head-to-head series. They have won-and-covered in two straight games against Cleveland this season. Indiana is 39-24 ATS after two or more consecutive Overs in the past three seasons. The team is also 25-14 ATS after three straight games committing 14 or less turnovers over the past two seasons. Cleveland, meanwhile, is 13-4 ATS in home games off of a home victory over the past two seasons. The Cavaliers are also 31-18 ATS after covering in four or five of their past six games in that time. PG George Hill (Back) is probable for Indiana, but SF Paul George (Leg) is out indefinitely for the team. The Cavaliers will only be without C Anderson Varejao (Achilles) in this game as the big man is out for the season.

Can the Pacers snap the Cavaliers’? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a strong 55% ATS record (178-148-2) in featured games this season. In terms of Best Bets, the experts have a huge 61% ATS (109-70-4) record since Feb. 1, led by StatFox Gary who has a stellar 61% ATS (33-21-1) mark in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 1, and is 58% ATS (59-43-1) this season. StatFox Scott is also sizzling with a 61% ATS record (38-24-1) in Best Bets since Dec. 21, improving his record to 56% ATS (57-45-1) for the season, and StatFox Brian has a lofty 60% ATS (18-12-1) mark in Best Bets since Feb. 4, and is now 56% ATS (57-44-1) in season Best Bets. StatFox Dave is a scorching 68% ATS (25-12) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 28, while StatFox Zach is a robust 65% ATS (36-19-1) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 2.

The Pacers had seemingly found their stride with a seven game winning streak from Feb. 27 to Mar. 12, but they have since lost three straight games. They’ll need to get things back on track soon because the playoff race in the East has gotten extremely tight recently. PG George Hill (14.7 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.7 RPG, 1.0 SPG) has been the Pacers’ best player this season. The guard is excellent on both sides of the ball, doing a great job of guarding his opponents and rarely forcing up bad shots with the ball in his hands. He had just 10 points in the loss to Chicago on Wednesday, but he is averaging 18.6 PPG over the past five contests. He’ll need to hold his own against Kyrie Irving Friday. PF David West (12.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG) is going to need to be at his best in this one. West is averaging just 6.5 PPG over the past two contests and he must start knocking down some jumpers or this team will struggle to win big games. He has played well against Cleveland this season, averaging 15.3 PPG and 8.3 RPG in three meetings with the team. His strength should give Kevin Love a ton of issues inside. SG Rodney Stuckey (13.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.2 APG) has been hot lately, averaging 20.4 PPG over the past five contests. Stuckey has shot the ball very well from the outside this season (39% 3PT) and that has been a huge addition to his game. He knows how to score from midrange and can also finish around the rim. If Stuckey can get it going against the Cavs then it’ll allow the Pacers’ big men to work with more room in the post. C Roy Hibbert (10.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.7 BPG) has looked better offensively over the past two games, averaging 14.5 PPG in those contests. He will, however, need to rebound the ball better. He’s averaging just 4.4 RPG over the past five contests and has been liability on the floor at times, which is absurd for a player with his size.

The Cavaliers have been pretty much unbeatable at home and they’ll look to stay that way against the Pacers Friday. SF LeBron James (25.8 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.7 RPG, 1.5 SPG) is going to need to play like the MVP in this one. The Pacers are weakest at the small forward position and James should be able to put up some impressive numbers. He had just 16 points, seven assists and three boards against the Nets last game and he must be better moving forward. PG Kyrie Irving (22.0 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG) had 12 points, 10 assists and five boards against the Nets. Irving has lit up Indiana this season, averaging 26.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 5.0 APG and 1.5 BPG in two games versus the team. George Hill has been playing excellent for the Pacers though, and Irving will really need to be focused on Friday. If he is outplayed then the winning streak could be in jeopardy. Cleveland is also going to need PF Kevin Love (16.7 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.4 APG) to figure things out. The forward is averaging just 9.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG in 30.0 MPG in the past two games he’s played. The Cavaliers brought Love in to provide another consistent source of scoring and rebounding. He will have to find his game moving forward. C Timofey Mozgov (9.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.3 BPG) had 17 points in 17 minutes against the Nets. He has been a revelation for Cleveland since the trade and will need to find a way to be effective against Roy Hibbert on Friday. He’s averaging 7.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 2.0 BPG in four games against the Pacers this season.