Game Summary
The Cavaliers (18-7) travel to Indiana on Friday night to take on the Pacers (14-11) for a Central Division battle. Tipoff from Bankers Life Fieldhouse is at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
The Wine & Gold are looking to extend the NBA's longest active streak (and break the franchise win-streak record) if they can grab their 14th straight on Friday in Indy.
Cavs Visit Pacers
From where to catch all the action to Friday's game notes, Cavs.com has you covered.
FOX Sports Ohio
WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega
Joe G.'s guide to a victory.
Learn more about Friday's matchup.
Join Wine & Gold Nation and get into the convo.
If we're talking streaks, it's also important to note that the Cavaliers are currently riding a seven-game road win streak, which also ties a franchise record. The club has accomplished that feat four other times (most recently 11/21/97-12/17/97).
After grabbing their 13th straight on Wednesday night in their 101-95 joust with the Sacramento Kings, the Cavs recorded another impressive franchise record: With those 101 points, Cleveland has scored 100 points or more in 18 consecutive games, tying the third-longest 100+ point streak in franchise history (18, 1/19/85-2/20/85).
In the win over the Kings, Cleveland overcame a double-digit deficit (down by 14) for the sixth time in 2017-18 and outscored Sacramento, 53-38, in the second half while holding Sacramento to 15-38 (.395) shooting over the final two frames. The reserves scored 41 points, marking the fourth-straight game and 17th time overall this season the bench has scored 40 points or more. On the season, the Cavs’ bench is averaging 40.9 points per game, which ranks fifth in the NBA.
The Wine & Gold's tremendous success these past few weeks will be tough to derail, but the Pacers are hoping they can be the squad that brings them down. Indiana already has a win over the Cavaliers this season, which came way back on November 1st when Indy topped Cleveland, 124-107, in The Land.
The Pacers, whose solid record has them placed seventh overall in the Eastern Conference, are looking to stay competitive in the Central Division where they rank fourth, just behind the Milwaukee Bucks. As they aim to leapfrog the Bucks into third place, they'll need to rely on their impressive play from behind the arc. In their, 115-97, win over the New York Knicks on Monday, the club hit 11 treys, putting them at .398 in three-point percentage this year, which is good for second in the entire league. This season, the club is 10-2 when they hit at least 10 or more downtown shots in a game.
Indiana can extend their two-game winning streak to three-straight if they can snag a second win over the Cavaliers in just the first three months of the 2017-18 NBA campaign.
Where to Catch the Action
TV: FOX Sports Ohio
Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega
Programming Note: On Friday, FOX Sports Ohio is airing the Blue Jackets – Devils game (7:00 p.m.) and the Cavs – Pacers game (7:00 p.m.). To view TV listings, CLICK HERE.
For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.
Probable Starters/Status Update*
#81 - Jose Calderon
#5 - JR Smith
#23 - LeBron James
#99 - Jae Crowder
#0 - Kevin Love
G
G
F
F
C
#2 - Darren Collison
#4 - Victor Oladipo
#44 - Bojan Bogdanovic
#21 - Thaddeus Young
#33 - Myles Turner
Status Update: (Cavs) - Isaiah Thomas, (Right hip, Out), Derrick Rose, (Left ankle sprain, Out), Tristan Thompson, (Left calf strain, Out), Iman Shumpert, (Left knee effusion, Out)
Status Update: (Pacers) - Glenn Robinson III, (Left ankle surgery rehabilitation, Out), Edmond Sumner, (Left knee surgery rehabilitation, Out)
*Subject to change.
Head-to-Head Matchup
As already mentioned, the Pacers have a 1-0 lead over the Cavaliers during this regular season after topping the Wine & Gold back on November 1st. That loss is Cleveland's only Central Division 'L' so far in 2017-18. In fact, the Cavs are 3-0 on the road against divisional opponents and 5-1 overall.
In total, the Cavaliers have won seven of the past 10 contests with Indiana. However, both clubs have played each other tough at Friday night's venue, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, just recently. Over the past four regular season games in Indiana, the two teams have won two games apiece.
Moving forward, Cleveland can cement their top slot in the division even further with another win over a Central Division opponent.
After Friday's game, the Cavs and Pacers aren't done just yet. They'll play two more times this season, once more in Indy (Jan. 12th) and again in Cleveland (Jan. 26th) to complete the season series.
On Deck
Following Friday's matchup with Indiana, the Cavs will head directly back to The Land to take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday for the second leg of a back-to-back. Tipoff from The Q is at 8:00 p.m. (ET). Saturday's dual with the Sixers is the first of four-straight home games for the Cavaliers. After Philly, they'll take on the Atlanta Hawks (Dec. 12th), the Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 14th) and the Utah Jazz (Dec. 16th) before hitting the road once again.