Game Summary
The Cavaliers will look to even up their First Round series against the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Tipoff from Quicken Loans Arena is at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
Heading into Wednesday night's matchup with Indy, it's good to know that the Wine & Gold are still on the right side of history when playing in Game Twos. In fact, the Cavs are 14-3 since 2009 in the second contest of any series (23-19 record all-time).
CAVS TO DON BLACK JERSEYS
From where to catch all the action to Wednesday's game notes, Cavs.com has you covered.
FOX Sports Ohio, NBA on TNT
WTAM 1100, 87.7 FM La Mega
Joe G.'s guide to a victory.
Learn more about Wednesday's matchup.
Join Wine & Gold Nation and get into the convo.
Great seats are still available!
Another fact that will perk up Cavs fans is that when trailing 0-1 in any series, the Cavs have gone on to win four of those in their postseason history (1976 Semifinals vs. WAS, 2007 ECF vs. DET, 2015 Semifinals vs. CHI & 2016 Finals vs. GSW).
On Wednesday night, the Cavs can also build off their excellent postseason record against the Eastern Conference. In total, the Cavs hold a 36-6 playoff record against East opponents since the 2015 playoffs, which includes a 18-3 mark at The Q and 18-3 mark on the road.
Even though the club dropped Game 1, 98-80, Cleveland nearly came back from a 23-point deficit and trailed by just seven points (76-69) early in the fourth quarter. However, the Pacers went on a 12-2 run to go up by 17 (88-71) to reopen the gap.
In terms of things to work on, the Cavaliers must improve their shooting numbers from the floor after their Game 1 loss to the Pacers on Sunday.
In Game 1, the Cavaliers were unable to get their field-goal percentage above .385 percent. Their percentage from beyond the arc didn't fare any better, knocking down only .235 percent of their three-pointers.
The Wine & Gold did happen to hold the advantage in both rebounds in assists. On Sunday, the Cavs posted 46 rebounds compared to the Pacers' 44, while Cleveland tallied 21 assists to Indiana's 19.
Cleveland's reserves were also able to carry over their solid play from the regular season, outscoring Indiana’s reserves 31-22 and had 21 assists on 30 field goals.
Looking forward to historical markers, Wine & Gold fans should keep an eye on Kevin Love (662 PTS, 411 REB), who is 32 points away from passing Larry Nance Sr. (693 PTS) for sixth place in Cavs playoff history in points scored and nine boards shy of passing Brad Daugherty (419 REB) for fourth place in postseason rebounds with Cleveland.
LeBron James (390 STL) is also six steals away from passing Scottie Pippen (395 STL) as the all-time leader in career playoff steals.
Where to Catch the Action
TV: FOX Sports Ohio, NBA on TNT
Radio: WTAM 1100, 87.7 La Mega
For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.
Probable Starters/Status Update*
#3 - George Hill
#1 - Rodney Hood
#23 - LeBron James
#32 - Jeff Green
#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) - None to Report
Status Update: (Pacers) - None to Report
*Subject to change.
Series Stats
On Wednesday, the Wine & Gold will be looking to build off the three individual performances that came on Sunday afternoon in Game 1.
LeBron James recorded his 20th career playoff triple-double (24 PTS, 10 REB, 12 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 44 MIN), becoming just the second player in NBA postseason history to reach that mark (Magic Johnson – 30 triple-doubles). James also passed Michael Jordan (2,188 FGM) for the second-most field goals made in NBA playoff history with his seventh field goal of the day and dished out his 1,500th career playoff assist.
Including the postseason, LeBron James has recorded a double-double in his last 10 games against the Pacers, including four triple-doubles (since 4/2/17). Over this 10-game run, James is averaging 31.1 points (.540 FG%), 9.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in 42.8 minutes.
JR Smith registered 15 points on 6-11 (.545) shooting from the field in 29 minutes off the bench against the Pacers in Game 1. He also nailed three treys, increasing his total as a Cavalier to 159 postseason triples, the second-most in franchise history (LeBron James-208).
In his first career playoff game, Larry Nance Jr. contributed 10 points on 5-7 (.714) shooting, five rebounds, a team-high two steals and one block in 30 minutes off the bench in Game 1.
For Indiana, they'll hope to receive another similar offensive performance in Game 2 from point guard Victor Oladipo. Oladipo, who averaged a team-leading 23.1 ppg in the 2017-18 regular season, knocked down a game-high 32 points. The first-year Pacer also had six rebounds and four assists.
On Deck
Following Game 2's conclusion, the Cavaliers will battle the Pacers on Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Game 3 at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on FSO/ESPN. The two will then square off again in Indy on Sunday, April 22 at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on FSO/TNT for Game 4. If necessary, Game 5 will take place at The Q on Wednesday, April 25, on FSO. Tipoff time is still to be determined.
Q Transformation
Before you make your way downtown for Wednesday's Game 2 matchup between the Cavaliers and Pacers, be sure to take note of the Huron Rd. lane closures that may effect your travels. For more information, CLICK HERE