Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers DFS Game 2 Start Em’ Sit Em’| May 6th, 2025

The Indiana Pacers look to capitalize on their Game 1 victory as they prepare to play the Cleveland Cavaliers again. Both teams relied heavily on their guard play; Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard each had a fantastic Game 1, while Donovan Mitchell went off. Looking forward to Game 2, Mitchell might have to take control again since he will be missing backcourt teammate Darius Garland. The Pacers’ numbers can vary a lot, though, and DFS players should think twice about which Indiana starters they want to pick up.

Lock of the Game

It was practically written in the stars that Mitchell would have to take over the offense since Garland was still dealing with his foot injury. Looking back, though, it’s still impressive to think of how he took over. Mitchell was spinning, juking, and driving his way to the basket any which way he could. Garland is still nursing his foot, making him questionable for Game 2, so Mitchell will have to take over again. That shouldn’t be an issue, though, since Mitchell’s confidence looks higher than it’s ever been.

Start ‘Em

Despite the heroics of Tyrese Haliburton, the most consistent shooter on the Pacers might be Andrew Nembhard. He led the team in Game 1 with 23 points, but more importantly, he shot 5-6 from three-point range. With those kind of numbers, one might expect a double team now and then. It seems like the Cavaliers are having trouble at least chasing him off the line, though. Nembhard keeps finding himself in great spots on the floor where he is either open or in a strong position with a defender.

Although it seemed like Mitchell was running the offense on his own, he did get some help from Evan Mobley in Game 1. Mobley had a decent 20 points. Most of his scoring came from going to work in the paint, but he did shoot two three-pointers in the game. Especially if Garland can’t play, Mobley will have to score 25+ to give the Cavaliers more of a boost in points. Otherwise, they’re at risk of simply getting outscored. Mobley is also only worth 8K, which is a solid price for a reliable power forward.

Sit ‘Em

This is definitely an odd sit considering Haliburton had a hell of a Game 1. Haliburton definitely drove into the paint much more than he is accustomed to in that game, though. The floater was really working for him, but even with that, he only scored 22 points, which is good but not great. DFS players have to remember that Haliburton only averaged 18 points in the regular season, and his postseason high so far has been 26 points. Haliburton prefers to feed the ball to his teammates, so he is a good start for players who need a couple of points, but not for anyone who needs their point guard to put up huge numbers.

Jerome did pick up some of the slack in Game 1 with Garland missing, so he deserves his credit there. The issue with Jerome from a DFS standpoint is that he misses a lot. In Game 1, Jerome was 8-20 from the field and could only hit one of his four three-pointers. He needs to shoot often to get his points, but he may not see the ball often with those numbers. DFS players should look for something safer, even if Jerome is only worth 5.3 K.

Fade of the Game

Wade couldn’t score a point in Game 1. He also scored nothing in three of the games against Miami. The difference is he had shorter playing time against Miami, but was on the court for 16 minutes against Indiana. 16 minutes is a long time to not at least score once. If there are any DFS players who want to find a bench player who can score, they might be better off looking towards someone like De’Andre Hunter. Wade simply isn’t worth the investment given his recent play.