Cavaliers’ Dean Wade (shoulder) downgraded to out vs. Pacers

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (shoulder) has been downgraded to out for Thursday night’s road game against the Indiana Pacers. While Ricky Rubio (knee) and Dylan Windler (ankle) remain out indefinitely, center Robin Lopez is also listed as questionable due to an illness.

Thirty-five games into the 2022-23 season, Cleveland is 22-13 and ranks fourth overall in the Eastern Conference standings. The Cavaliers are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are coming off back-to-back losses.

Per a few NBA betting sites, the Cavaliers have the ninth-best odds to win the championship in 2023. Check out which sportsbooks are giving the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Brooklyn Nets better odds.

Game 36.

🕖 7:00PM ET
📺 @BallySportsCLE
📻 @wtam1100, @wmms, @Power891 @RocketMortgage | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/IKOTJV5Fbw

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) December 29, 2022

Additionally, earlier this month, the Cavaliers announced that Wade would miss 3-4 weeks because of an AC joint sprain. The fourth-year wing is now slated to return in early January.

Through 17 appearances this season, Wade is averaging 6.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game. Plus, he’s shooting 45.2% from the floor and 41.1% from 3-point range.

Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (shoulder) downgraded to out against Pacers on Thursday

On Oct. 30, in Cleveland’s 121-108 win over the New York Knicks, the forward scored a career-high 22 points in 34 minutes of action. He finished 8-of-11 (72.7%) shooting from the field and 6-of-8 (75%) outside the arc.

Defensively, the Cavs are one of the best teams in the NBA. They lead the league for the fewest points allowed, surrendering just 105.5 points per game. And Cleveland has held its opponents to below 100 points a league-high 12 times this season.

However, the Cavaliers lost 125-117 against the Nets on Monday. This was Brooklyn’s ninth straight win. The team’s win streak was extended to 10 games on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks.

NBA INJURY ALERT: Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton (knee) is questionable for Thursday's game vs. the Cavaliers. pic.twitter.com/6rjY0Bbfoq

— DraftKings Network (@DKNetwork) December 28, 2022

Furthermore, on the other side, the Pacers are 5-5 in their past 10 contests. Also, they are 10-5 ATS in their last 15 home games. Equally important, Indiana is 1-12 in its previous 13 matchups versus Central Division opponents.

According to Indiana’s injury report, Daniel Theis (knee) and Kendall Brown (tibia) remain out indefinitely. Tyrese Haliburton (knee) is listed as questionable versus Cleveland.

Moreover, based on ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Cavaliers have a 66.2% chance of defeating the Pacers. Sportsbooks show Cleveland as a 5.5-point favorite.