Wrap-Up – If the Wine and Gold’s 12-game run was going to end somewhere, it was probably going to be Indiana, where Cleveland has now dropped nine straight. The contest came down to the final possession, but it was apparent before that that the Cavaliers were running low on fuel – falling to the Pacers, 103-99, on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Cavs only shot 12 free throws for the game and were 6-for-25 from beyond the arc in the second half, but they also had some tough calls go against them down the stretch – including a charge Matthew Dellavedova took that was reversed and a four-point play that saw George Hill sink a one-handed three-pointer as Kyrie Irving fought under a screen. But aside the questionable officiating, the Cavs were done in by an old friend, C.J. Miles, who notched 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Four Cavalier starters notched double-figures, led by Irving, who finished with a game-high 29 points – going 13-for-26 from the floor to go with five boards, four assists and a steal. LeBron James followed up with 25 points on 10-for-21 shooting, adding six boards, five assists, a pair of steals and a block. J.R. Smith finished with 17 points, going 5-for-12 from long-distance. And Timofey Mozgov pitched in with 13 points and a team-high nine boards. Mozgov and LeBron were the only two Cavaliers to attempt a free throw on Friday night.
The Cavs committed 15 turnovers to Indiana’s eight and the Pacers outscored them, 15-8, on the break. Indy was the first team since the Clippers on January 16 to top the century mark against the Cavs.
All five Pacers starters tallied double-figures, including David West and George Hill, who notched 20 points apiece.
LeBron w/ 25 pts, 6 reb and 5 ast
See LeBron’s one-hand slam
Iman's big three pointer
Go inside the locker room
See the top plays from the game
Turning Point – The Cavaliers didn’t trail through the first three quarters, but the Pacers started making their move towards the end of the third period, closing the quarter on a 14-5 run. Early in the fourth, the Wine and Gold extended their lead to nine, 81-72. But C.J. Miles and Solomon Hill keyed an 11-0 run that gave Indiana its first lead of the game. Iman Shumpert’s trey with 1:41 to play gave Cleveland the lead back, but George Hill converted the unlikely four-point play on the next possession to put the Pacers in front for good.
By the Numbers – 3.5 … Offensive rebounds that Tristan Thompson is averaging off the bench. As we head towards the All-Star Break, Thompson leads all reserves in rebounding at 7.7 rpg, tallying 315 total boards as a sub.
Quotable – LeBron James, on facing a tough Indiana squad on Friday night …
”I thought we had a really good chance to win this game tonight. (The Pacers) played an excellent game. I watch a lot of their games and they don’t normally make shots like they did tonight. They’ve been in a lot of wars and a lot of those guys are battle tested.”
Up Next – After tying the franchise mark for consecutive wins on Friday night in Indiana, the Cavaliers return home for a Sunday afternoon matchup with the team they beat to start the streak – Byron Scott’s L.A. Lakers. On Wednesday night, the Cavs welcome the Miami Heat to town, looking to avenge the Christmas Day loss on South Beach. The next night, Cleveland travels to the Windy City to wrap up the season’s first half against a Bulls team they recently passed in the standings and have topped twice already this year.