The Cleveland Cavaliers’ season is on the line – since no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs – in Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
And even though the Cavs are banged up (Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter all missed Game 2) and on the road, oddsmakers have them favored to win Game 3 by 1.5 points.
I’m not buying a Cleveland win in this game with all the injuries, but I do think there is some value in betting on some player props for two of the game’s best guards.
Fresh off a game-winning 3-pointer, Tyrese Haliburton could be worth a look at home in Game 3 while Donovan Mitchell attempts to hold off the Pacers by putting together another huge scoring performance.
Here’s a breakdown of my favorite props for this massive Game 3.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tyrese Haliburton UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (+105)
Haliburton may have hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2, but he has not shot the 3-ball at a high level in this postseason.
The Pacers guard is shooting just 30.6 percent from beyond the arc this postseason, knocking down 15 of his 49 attempts.
He’s failed to make more than two 3-pointers in a single game against the Cavs in this series, and he only took two shots from deep in Game 2. In fact, Haliburton – despite averaging seven 3-point shots per game in the playoffs – has just eight 3-point attempts in total against the Cavs.
That lack of volume is concerning, especially since the star guard only has two games with three or more made 3-pointers in the playoffs. He’s a fade candidate at this price in Game 3.
Donovan Mitchell OVER 29.5 Points (-120)
Mitchell has been asked to carry the scoring load for the Cavs with Garland and Mobley banged up, and his usage is off the charts.
Mitchell has taken 30 shots in each of his games in this series, scoring 33 points in Game 1 and 48 points in Game 2. He was able to get to the line for 21 free-throw attempts in Game 2.
I expect another heavy workload for Mitchell on Friday, especially since the Cavs are in a must-win scenario. Mitchell has four games this postseason with 30 or more points, and the only reason he didn’t clear this prop in the final two games against Miami was because the Cavs went up by so much.
In what should be a closer game, Mitchell is going to get up all the shots he can handle on Friday night.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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