UPDATE: All three of Garland, Mobley, and Hunter have been ruled out Tuesday night for Game 2 against the Pacers.
The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers kicked off the opening game of the second round of NBA Playoff action. The Pacers produced a 121-112 victory over the Cavaliers, with Cleveland having their injury concerns worsen.
Darius Garland missed the series opener with his toe issue that also kept him out of the final two games vs. the Heat. There is some legitimate concern with this injury, with NBA on TNT’s Jared Greenberg reporting he would be shut down for at least one to two weeks if this were the regular season.
Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter each joined Garland on the injury report following the Game 1 loss. Hunter is dealing with a thumb injury, while Mobley’s ankle is proving bothersome. Head coach Kenny Atkinson seemingly expressed some legitimate concern that both players’ status for Game 2 could be in doubt, with this sure to be a storyline to monitor.
Cleveland is on the heels of a wildly successful regular season in which they went 64-18 and earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They had no trouble sweeping the Heat in the opening round, with the 122-point margin of victory marking the largest point differential for a series in NBA playoff history.
But the Pacers answered the call in Game 1 and took away home-court advantage from the Cavaliers. These two teams will be back in action tomorrow, with the Cavaliers favored by nine points and -485 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Pacers hold +370 odds on the Moneyline of getting the outright win and taking a 2-0 series advantage, with the game total set at 229.5.
Cleveland still holds -210 odds of winning the series on DraftKings Sportsbook with the Pacers listed at +170. The status of these key Cavaliers players very well could shift any of these odds if they are to miss time, and their status is worth monitoring leading up until tomorrow’s Game 2 matchup.
