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Key: Well Begun is Half Done
When the Cavaliers – other than LeBron James and Kyrie Irving – unpacked their bags last night, it was the last time they’ll pack up again in February – closing out the road portion of the month with tonight’s game against Indy, the All-Star Break and three-game homestand heading into March.
Even with a pair of injured starters out, the Cavaliers continued erasing a mediocre month of January, pulling away from the Timberwolves on Tuesday night to improve to 6-1 in February. Andrew Wiggins established himself as a true Cavs-Killer, finishing with 41 points, but his team has yet to top Cleveland in six tries, including Tuesday night’s 116-108 win.
The Cavaliers dropped the Pacers one week earlier at Bakers Life Fieldhouse, snapping their seven-game win streak, and have won five straight over Paul George and Co. at The Q.
With a wild second half waiting on the other end of the weekend, the Wine and Gold would love to wrap up the first half in style on Wednesday.
Key: Central Roles
Speaking of the second half, LeBron James – who won his NBA-record 57th Eastern Conference Player of the Week award this week – has won five of the six Player of the Month Awards in March and April over the past two years. (DeMar DeRozan won the sixth.) That means that the King is just about getting his engine revved up for money time after he makes his 13th straight All-Star start.
Many of LeBron’s contemporaries won’t be in New Orleans this year, but the fact is that James is still at the top of his game – handing out double-digit assists in 10 of his last 16 games – averaging 10.7 per over that span. Over that same stretch, the four-time MVP is shooting 58 percent from the floor and averaging 7.5 boards.
He’ll face one of his true challengers in the East -- Paul George, once again Indy’s leading scorer.
George had to battle Kawhi Leonard – finishing with 27 points in the Pacers’ Monday night loss – and he gets LeBron for the second time in a week to close out the first half.
Key: Next Men Up
If ever the sports cliché: ‘seeing that guy in their sleep’ would apply – it’d be last week’s Pacers squad being haunted by Kyle Korver, who unloaded eight triples on Indiana, finishing with 29 points off the bench, going 8-of-9 from long-range, 10-of-12 overall.
Korver helped Cleveland go off for 40 points in the third period and he personally scored 12 more in the fourth as the Cavs rolled past their third straight Eastern Conference foe on the road.
As the Cavaliers continue to go next-man-up, it was Derrick Williams who did most of the damage on Tuesday night in Minnesota – going 5-of-7 from the floor for 13 points off the bench, adding six boards and a steal against the squad that drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick back in 2011.
In three games as a Cavalier, Williams is shooting an economical 77 percent – 10-of-13 – as he auditions for a full-time gig with the World Champs.
The Pacers –who’ve dropped three straight since Cleveland snapped their seven-game run – rely on Monta Ellis for their scoring punch off the bench, but it’s been C.J. Miles who’s been a thorn in his former squad’s side. In his last three games against the Cavs, Miles is shooting 64 percent –14-for-22 – from long-range and averaging 18.0 points per.
Key: Forward Shuffle
With Kevin Love undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Tuesday, sidelining him for at least the next six weeks, Tyronn Lue will probably mix and match his starting 4 until his All-Star forward is ready to return.
On Tuesday night, Channing Frye got the call – and he produced big time in his second straight start against the Timberwolves. The 11-year vet responded with a season-high 21 points and 10 boards, going 7-for-15 from the floor to go with a pair of blocked shots. In those two starts against Minnesota, Frye’s averaging 19.5 points, 7.0 boards and 2.0 blocks.
The Pacers have really missed their blue-collar forward, Thaddeus Young, who sprained his left wrist back on February and is likely out until after the Break. Nate McMillian’s been going with a mix of Lavoy Allen and Kevin Seraphin in the meantime.
Key: Locking Horns
The Pacers have one of the Eastern Conference’s emerging young big men in Myles Turner, who’s upped his scoring average 5.6 points in his sophomore seasons with Indiana.
The former Longhorn dropped 22 points on the Spurs in Monday night’s loss and has scored in double-figures in all but six games this season. In two games against the Cavaliers this season, he’s averaging 14.0 points and 8.0 boards.
He’ll face off against another successful Texas alum in Tristan Thompson, who’s picked up his scoring in February – averaging 13.7 points on 69 percent shooting, adding 10.0 boards per game over that stretch.
Tristan was solid again in Wednesday’s win over Minnesota, finishing with double-digit boards for the fourth time in his last five games – notching his 16th double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 boards, going 6-of-7 from the floor.