Final Dime: Cavaliers 105, Pacers 95

Anderson Varejao notched 10 points and seven boards off the bench. Ron Hoskins NBAE/Getty Images

Indiana netted 82 points through those first three periods, but managed only 13 in the fourth as Cleveland’s defense clamped down and pushed past the Pacers – winning their ninth game in 11 contests with the hard-fought 105-95 victory.

Of course, it wasn’t all defense for the Cavaliers. LeBron James notched a season-high 40 points – canning his first eight shots from the floor and closing Indy out with 10 of those in the final period. On the night, James was 13-for-25 from the floor and 13-of-14 at the stripe, adding nine boards and seven assists.

LeBron, J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao all got off to fast starts on Friday. The trio combined to hit 13 of their first 14 shots from the floor, with both teams shooting a scorching 68 percent in the first. The Pacers, in fact, shot 63 percent in the first half and still trailed by five at intermission.

But they began the second half with a 17-2 and the Cavaliers – who had cooled significantly by then – found themselves down double-digits.

The fourth quarter was another story. The Wine and Gold upped their intensity on the defensive end, allowing just one Pacer starter to score in the period – and that was Danny Granger, who made a solitary field goal among eight attempts.

“We didn’t panic,” said Coach Mike Brown. “We tried to find different combinations to put stops together. We need to concentrate on defense when we’re not playing well offensively.”

“LeBron and other guys just made big plays,” added Mo Williams. “The Pacers were making tough shots all night, but all of a sudden those shots weren’t falling.”

Williams followed up LeBron’s effort with 18 points – despite going just 3-for-11 from the floor. (He was a perfect 11-of-11 from the line.) J.J. Hickson continued to impress – hitting on 7-of-9 shots for 15 points and seven boards. Anthony Parker added a dozen points in the win, finishing 5-for-6 from the floor including a pair of three-pointers.

Cleveland closes out its most recent stretch of four-games-in-five-nights on Saturday evening at The Q, when they welcome Andre Iguodala and the Sixers.

2. Since 2006-07, the Cavaliers have had their way with the Pacers. Including Friday’s win, they’ve gone 11-2 in that span – beating Indy by an average of nine points per victory.

3. The Cavaliers have hit 39 more three-pointers than their opponents this season – good for third-best in the NBA. On Friday night, they canned six threes to the Pacers’ four.

4. As Mo Williams goes, so go the Cavaliers. In the Cavaliers nine victories, Mo is shooting .515 from the floor and an even .600 from long-distance for a 19.8 ppg average. In Cleveland’s four losses, Mo shoots .271 from the floor, .176 from beyond the arc for an average of 11.3 ppg.

5. After a rough outing on Wednesday in Washington, J.J. Hickson bounced back with another strong showing on Friday. And not only is he playing well, but he’s playing well in crunch time. Following the game, Coach Brown was asked if three weeks ago, he could picture himself re-inserting J.J. into a close game on the road.

“Three weeks ago, I didn’t know what his name was,” quipped Brown.

6. Much has been made about LeBron’s flirtation with football, after saying he could probably suit up for an NFL club if he put his mind to it. Before Friday’s game, he was asked how he’d like to catch balls from the Colts’ Payton Manning.

“I wouldn’t have to work hard to get open, because he’d put it right there,” said James. “I’ve watched him and I’m sure he catches some of our games also. I just have the utmost respect (for him).”

7. The Wine and Gold are now 46-2 over the last two seasons when they score 100 or more points.

8. Anderson Varejao bounced back with a vengeance. After missing the previous two games with a hip injury, the Wild Thing went 5-for-6 from the floor for 10 points and 7 boards in 28 minutes off the bench.

9. The guy who had the easiest night on Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse was Pacers coach Jim O’Brien, who got tossed with 5:20 remaining in the first quarter. Asked afterward about the quick hook, O’Brien replied: “I objected to LeBron James leveling T.J. Ford.”

10. This last Dime should tell you how early it is in the NBA season: Currently, the Cavaliers are the No. 6-ranked team in NBA.com’s Power Rankings – up from 11 last week. The No. 1 team – and this hasn’t been the case, maybe, ever – is the 8-2 Atlanta Hawks. Denver is above Cleveland in the rankings, with Miami below.