Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 PM ET at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Indiana Pacers Media Availability | October 27, 2023
Game Preview
After a historic season opener, the Indiana Pacers are hitting the road this weekend to open Central Division play.
A week after facing off in the preseason, the Pacers (1-0) go to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Saturday to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1).
In game No. 1, the Pacers put on an extraordinary offensive performance, blowing out the Washington Wizards 143-120 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The 143 points were the most points by any NBA team in an opener since 1990 and the most by a Pacers team in a season opener ever.
It wasn’t just a couple of players getting it done for Indiana: eight players finished in double-digit scoring, and the team racked up 38 total assists. Overall, the Pacers shot 58.2 percent from the field, including 20-for-43 from 3-point range.
Against the Wizards, All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton picked up where he left off last season, posting 20 points and 11 assists, while first-year Pacer Bruce Brown drilled a career-high six 3-pointers en route to a team-high 24 points. Additional double-digit scorers against Washington included Buddy Hield (14), Jalen Smith (13), Andrew Nembhard (12), Obi Toppin (11), and Myles Turner (11).
Nembhard, a second-year guard from Gonzaga, also dished out 10 assists for his first double-double. He had just five of those in his rookie season.
The Cavs’ game against Indiana will be the second leg of back-to-back home games, as they will host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.
Last season, the Cavs were one of the best defensive teams in the league. By season's end, they achieved the No. 1 defensive rating in the NBA at 109.9 by giving up a league-low 106.88 points per game.
Cleveland beat Indiana in the season series 3-1 in 2022-2023, but all the games were decided by seven points or fewer.
Cleveland opened its season Wednesday with a nail-biting 114-113 win against the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets had a chance to take the lead in the final second but couldn’t get a bucket to go at the buzzer.
In the Cavs' opener, Max Strus had a strong debut for his new team, posting 27 points and 12 rebounds, while All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell had 27 points, six assists and five rebounds. Forward Isaac Okro accounted for 18 points and six rebounds, and speedy point guard Darius Garland finished with 15 points and five assists.
Cleveland drilled 17 3-pointers in the game against the Nets, but shot just 46.8 percent overall. They were beaten on the glass 50-38, including 37-29 in defensive rebounds.
The Cavs suffered their first loss on Friday in a game where they led by nine with under two minutes remaining only to surrender a decisive 13-0 run to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Mitchell scored 43 points in the loss, but Garland missed the game due to a hamstring injury.
The Pacers posted a 109-104 preseason win in Indianapolis over the Cavs last week, but it’s hard to determine how much stock to put into the final result. Both teams didn’t play their starting units in the fourth quarter.
Regardless, Hield drilled six 3-pointers off the bench to lead the Blue & Gold with 20 points in the tune-up game, and Haliburton had 14 points, nine assists and four rebounds through three quarters of action.
For the visitors, Mitchell led the Cavs with 28 points (11-for-21 shooting), including scoring 19 in the third quarter, across 28 minutes and center Evan Mobley had 18 points and eight rebounds. Garland did not play in the preseason game.
Mitchell proved a handful for the Pacers last season, averaging 32 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the four games. Garland also gave the Pacers difficulties, averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds versus the Blue & Gold.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G - Tyrese Haliburton, G - Bruce Brown, F - Bennedict Mathurin, F - Obi Toppin, C - Myles Turner
Cavaliers: G - Max Strus, G - Donovan Mitchell , F - Isaac Okoro F - Dean Wade, C - Evan Mobley
Injury Report
Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton - questionable (non-COVID illness)
Cavaliers: Darius Garland - questionable (left hamstring strain), Dean Wade - questionable (illness), Jarrett Allen - out (left ankle bone bruise), Ricky Rubio - out (not with team)
Last Meeting
April 2, 2023: Behind a 40-point effort from Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs defeated the Pacers 115-105 at Rocket Mortgage Arena. With the loss, the Blue & Gold were officially eliminated from postseason contention.
The two teams went blow-for-blow through the first three quarters, with neither team leading by more than two points after each quarter, before the Cavs held the Pacers to just 18 points – forcing eight turnovers – in the final frame to come out with the win.
Bennedict Mathurin topped the Pacers with 19 points to go along with nine rebounds, and Jordan Nwora secured a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double. Also for the Cavs, Darius Garland added 20 points and six assists and center Evan Mobley tallied 14 points while collecting 16 rebounds.
Both teams shot 9-for-24 from 3-point range (37.5 percent), but the Cavs shot 48.9 percent from the field overall, while the Pacers made 43.4 percent of their attempts.
Noteworthy
- Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who signed a contract extension on Tuesday, is nine wins short of passing Frank Vogel (250) for the second-most wins by an Indiana head coach. Overall, Carlisle has 897 victories as an NBA head coach, which is good for 14th in league history.
- Myles Turner is four 3-pointers away from passing George Hill (487) for fifth-most 3-pointers made in Pacers franchise history.
- Darius Garland is a Gary, Ind. native.
- Indiana leads the all-time regular season series 106-101 against Cleveland.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana - Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan - Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
The Pacers will host Zach Lavine and the Chicago Bulls in a Central Division matchup on Monday, Oct. 30, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 7:00 PM. Find Tickets >>