2-29-20 vs. Pacers

nbaplatformservices

feat-highlight-cedis-fastbreak-dunk

Feat. Highlight: Cedi's Fastbreak Dunk

clejgabriele

var gameID = '0021900890',
    seasonYear = '2019',
    statsCat = 'pts', //will default to pts, other possible categories: reb ast blk
    statspack,
    gameCode;

$(document).ready(function(){	
	loadrecapdata(gameID,seasonYear,statsCat);

//The 1st variable is the game ID for the specific game
//the 2nd variable is the year for the feed, this is the YYYY in which the season starts. IE for the 2017-18 season the year variable needs to be 2017

If this Cavaliers season is about growth, J.B. Bickerstaff’s young squad grew up – albeit in a tough loss – on Saturday night.

The Cavs and Pacers went toe-to-toe in a good old-fashioned Central Division slugfest on Saturday – a game that featured 16 ties and 12 lead-changes – before Indiana finally pulled away late for the 113-104 decision at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

After a one-sided loss on Friday night in New Orleans, the Cavaliers tipped off a five-game homestand against the Playoff-bound Pacers – and it was razor-close throughout: Cleveland led by one after one quarter and by two at half before the Pacers tied the affair heading to the fourth.

The song remained the same in that final period. Neither team led by more than a possession through the first seven-plus minutes of the fourth. But three straight jumpers by T.J. Warren and a huge triple from Myles Turner in the final minute sealed the deal – giving the Pacers the 2-1 series lead with the fourth and final matchup slated for March 21 in Indy.

Andre Drummond had easily his best game as a Cavalier, returning to the lineup after missing the previous two games with a sore left calf. On the night, the two-time All-Star led Cleveland with 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting, adding a team-high 13 boards to go with four assists, four steals and a blocked shot.

Kevin Love followed up with 20 points, going 6-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the stripe, adding a team-high seven assists and a steal.

One of the highlights from the night – and maybe the year – came around the midway point of the third quarter, with Love and Drummond exchanging touchdown passes on consecutive possessions, with Drummond firing a 90-foot outlet pass to a streaking Love for the layup, and Love returning the favor 25 seconds later.

Collin Sexton pitched in with 16 points on 7-for-16 shooting, adding three boards and four assists. His backcourt mate, Darius Garland, had a quiet 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting to go with five helpers and a pair of rebounds.

Kevin Porter Jr. led all bench scorers with 14 points – going 5-of-13 from the floor, including 2-of-6 from deep, to go with two boards, three assists and a team-high two blocks.

T.J. Warren led all scorers with 30 points – eight of those on 4-of-5 shooting in the fourth quarter – and Indy’s big man combo of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner each had a double-double for the Pacers.

An Andre Drummond block on defense leads to a Cavs fast break that Cedi Osman finishes off with a two handed dunk in transition.

Saturday night’s contest was tight throughout. Neither team led by double-digits at any point during the game.

The fourth quarter was just as close, with neither team leading by more than three until T.J. Warren’s pullup with 3:32 to play in regulation put the Pacers up five, 104-99. Andre Drummond’s dunk got the Cavs back to within three, but Warren canned two more jumpers to put Indiana up seven, 108-101, with 2:17 to play.

Kevin Love hit a triple on Cleveland’s next possession to get the Cavaliers back within striking distance. But with 59 seconds to play – as he did two nights earlier in a home win over Portland – Myles Turner drained a three-pointer that rattled around the rim and in to give the Pacers enough breathing room to take the cake.

46 … double-doubles that Andre Drummond has posted so far this season – tying him with his opponent on Saturday night, Domantas Sabonis, for the second-best mark in the NBA.

Since 2012-13, Drummond has now tallied 406 double-doubles, most in the NBA over that stretch and 87 more than his next-closest competitor, Houston’s Russell Westbrook.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff, on what the Pacers did to seal the deal on Saturday …

"I think they did a really good job executing their stuff down the stretch and their guys, (T.J.) Warren got to a spot quite a bit, they had some really good looks. I think you know defensively, we could have put a little more pressure on him. Got into him a little bit more, been a little bit higher in our pick and rolls to try to you know stymie that a little bit, but give them credit, they got to their spots and made shots."

Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and 87.7 La Mega's Rafa Hernandez-Brito.

The Cavaliers longest remaining homestand of the season rolls on, with Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz making their lone stop to Cleveland on Monday night.

On Wednesday night, the Jayson Tatum and the Celtics make their final visit to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse followed by a Saturday night visit from Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. The homestand wraps up the following night when the Spurs come to town.

From there, it’s a six-game road trip – taking the Wine &amp; Gold to Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, Orlando and Indiana.

pacers-late-push-sinks-wine-gold

Pacers Late Push Sinks Wine & Gold

cavs-vs-pacers-postgame-andre-drummond

Cavs vs. Pacers Postgame: Andre Drummond

Cavs vs. Pacers Postgame: Kevin Porter Jr.

cavs-vs-pacers-postgame-kevin-porter-jr

cavs-vs-pacers-postgame-kevin-love

Cavs vs. Pacers Postgame: Kevin Love

Cavs vs. Pacers Postgame: Coach Bickerstaff

cavs-vs-pacers-postgame-coach-bickerstaff-5

drummonds-powerful-two-handed-slam

Drummond's Powerful Two-Handed Slam

love-feeds-nance-inside-for-slam-dunk

Love Feeds Nance Inside for Slam Dunk

Presented by:

fubo

SINGLE GAME PLAYOFF TICKETS FOR ROUND 1 ARE ON SALE NOW -- <strong><a href="https://seatgeek.com/cleveland-cavaliers-tickets/playoff-tickets?aid=15870&amp;pid=web&amp;rid=41524&amp;utm_medium=partnership&amp;utm_source=cavs_ticketing&amp;utm_campaign=web&amp;utm_content=playofftickets">GET TICKETS &gt;&gt;&gt;</a></strong>

2‑29‑20 vs. Pacers