Game Recap
Early into Wednesday night's contest, the Pacers looked well on their way to their eighth straight win, opening up a 15-point lead in the first quarter over LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
But the defending champions battled back and seized control with a dominant third quarter and ultimately handed Indiana (29-23) a 132-117 loss at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, snapping the Pacers' longest winning streak of the season. It was the fourth straight win for Cleveland (36-15).
C.J. Miles had a team-high 23 points for Indiana, going 6-for-9 from 3-point range, but he was outdueled by fellow sharpshooter Kyle Korver, who scored 29 points while going 8-for-9 from beyond the arc.
"When I (saw) him make his first one, I knew it was going to be a long night," said Pacers point guard Jeff Teague, who played with Korver for four seasons in Atlanta. "Once his first one goes in, he sees a big rim all night."
Teague (22 points and 14 assists) recorded his 12th double-double in the loss, while Paul George added 22 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
Miles got the home team going early, knocking down his first three shots from beyond the 3-point arc in the opening minutes. Shortly thereafter, Indiana opened up a double-digit lead with an 11-0 run midway through the first quarter.
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The Blue & Gold's offense was a well-oiled machine throughout the frame, constantly moving the ball to set up wide-open shot after wide-open shot. Another 9-2 run pushed the Pacers' lead to 33-18 with two minutes left in the quarter. Overall, the hosts were 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) from the field and 5-for-8 from 3-point range in the the period and took an 11-point lead into the second.
The Cavaliers managed to climb back into the contest in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to four points on a couple of occasions, but that was the closest they got before halftime. Indiana led 63-57 heading into the break.
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The tide turned quickly, however.
The second half got off to an inauspicious start. Kyrie Irving threw an alley-oop to LeBron James on Cleveland's opening possession and DeAndre Liggins then stole the ensuing inbounds pass, scored, drew a foul, and knocked down the free throw to make it a one-point game just seconds into the half.
The Cavs were only getting started. They converted eight of their first nine shots in the third quarter, reeling off 21 points (nine from Irving and six from James) in the first 3:50 to take a 78-72 lead.
The Pacers then went cold at the wrong time, allowing Cleveland to close the period with a 13-3 run, this time
with Korver doing the heavy lifting, knocking down a pair of threes and a long two.
All told, the Cavaliers outscored Indiana 40-18 in the third quarter. Cleveland was 13-for-20 from the field (65 percent), 4-for-7 from the 3-point line, and 10-for-10 from the free throw line. The Pacers went just 8-for-23 from the floor (34.8 percent) and didn't attempt a foul shot in the period.
Cleveland still led by 16 with six minutes left in the contest, but Indiana mounted one final charge, scoring nine unanswered points over a 1:16 stretch to trim the deficit back to single digits.
That would be the closest they would get, as James, Irving, and Korver took turns burying jumpers on the next few possessions to put the game out of reach.
"It's one game," George said after the loss. "We look past this. We played a really good team tonight. We know what beat us and we know the reason why we lost tonight."
Irving matched Korver for high scoring honors, finishing with 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting while also dishing out seven assists. James added 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go along with six boards and nine dimes.
Myles Turner and Monta Ellis were the final two Pacers players to score in double figures in the loss. Turner had 16 points and seven rebounds, while Ellis scored 13 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting.
The Pacers will now hit the road, traveling to Washington to take on the Wizards on Friday night at 8:00 PM ET. They will return to The Fieldhouse on Saturday to host the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00 PM.
"If we're serious about where we want to get to, then we'll respond Friday," George said.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers shot 50 percent from the field in the loss and were 13-for-25 from 3-point range. It was their first loss all season at home when making at least half their shots (they had won on the previous 10 such occasions).
Miles' six 3-pointers matched his season high, the fourth time this season he has accomplished the feat.
After recording just three assists in Monday's win over the Thunder, Teague bounced back with 14 against the Cavaliers. He has now had double-digit assists in 14 games this season and had at least seven dimes in 18 of his last 19 games.
The Cavaliers scored 75 points in the second half and shot 61.9 percent from the field over the final two quarters.
The Pacers outrebounded the Cavs 25-14 in the first half, but Cleveland won the battle of the boards in the second half, 25-13. The visitors held Indiana without an offensive rebound after halftime.
You Can Quote Me On That
"At the start of the third quarter, you can't come out not focused and ready to go as we did. You've got to be calm in games like this. We got rattled...It was a good lesson for us. We should learn from this." -Pacers head coach Nate McMillan
"They're a tough team to guard. They have a lot of shooters on the floor at all spots…one through five can shoot the ball really well. They spread us out and drove us. Drive and kick and Kyle Korver was magnificent." -Teague
"Korver was in a league of his own. We tried to put the ball in his hands and hoped he could score. He gets a lot of action from our game plan. When he’s open, we’ve got to get it to him." -James
"I got a lot of great looks. There’s nothing that gets a shooter open more than having other shooters like we do with LeBron and Kyrie. It’s pick your poison and tonight I was able to find my rhythm and knock some shots down." -Korver
Stat of the Night
Not only did Korver have easily his best night since being traded to Cleveland last month, it was one of the best performances of his career. His eight 3-pointers matched his career high and his 29 points were the most he has had in a single game since Feb. 21, 2007 — almost a full decade ago.
Noteworthy
- Wednesday's win was just the second for the Cavaliers in their last 14 visits to The Fieldhouse, although James played in only one of those 12 losses (he sat out three of them due to rest and was playing with the Miami Heat during the other nine).
- Pacers starting power forward Thaddeus Young missed his third straight game with a sprained left wrist.
- Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert sat out on Wednesday with a left ankle sprain.
Next Up
The Pacers will host the Milwaukee Bucks for the 1990s Decade Game on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 PM ET. Several players and executives from the 1990s will be honored at halftime and all fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead of Hall of Famer Reggie Miller. Find Tickets »