Game Rewind: Pacers 103, Cavaliers 122

Sunday, Feb. 5 at 5:00 PM ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

The Cleveland Cavaliers spoiled the Pacers' hopes of securing a winning homestand on Sunday evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Cavs (33-22) closed the second quarter with a 26-9 run to open up a double-digit lead, then never let Indiana (25-30) get back within single digits the rest of the way, rolling to a 122-103 win.

With the loss, the Pacers went 1-2 over a three-game homestand that began on Thursday. They have also dropped two of three on the season to their Central Division rivals from Cleveland.

Myles Turner scored a team-high 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds on Sunday for Indiana while also blocking three shots to move into third place in franchise history.

But the Pacers simply didn't have enough firepower to hang with the Cavs, who had all five starters score at least 17 points.

Turner asserted himself early on Sunday with his physical play in the post, tallying 10 of Indiana's first 15 points via two three-point plays, two more free throws following a third drawn foul, and another interior bucket.

"Just an attack mindset," Turner said of his strong start. "I think whenever I see my opportunities to try to be as aggressive as possible...I was going early."

Still, it was the Cavs who led after one. Led by seven points from Darius Garland and six from Jarrett Allen, the visitors took a 27-25 lead after the opening frame.

The second quarter featured six lead changes and two ties over its first six minutes. Cleveland eventually surged ahead midway through the frame thanks to a 10-0 run.

Buddy Hield's 3-pointer with 3:41 remaining in the quarter ended that spurt and made it 46-40, but Cleveland outscored Indiana 16-6 over the remainder of the half -- capped by a step-back three from All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell just before the buzzer -- to take a 62-46 advantage into the intermission.

The visitors' run carried over to the second half, as Cleveland outscored Indiana 13-4 over the first 2:21 of the third quarter to extend its lead all the way to 23 points.

Turner did his best to try to keep the Blue & Gold within shouting distance, tallying 15 points in the quarter. His final two points were the start of a 10-3 Indiana run to close the quarter that trimmed the deficit to 98-84 heading into the fourth.

T.J. McConnell scored the first points of the final frame on a layup with 10:54 to play to bring the hosts within 12, but that would be the closest they would get. The Cavs outscored Indiana 20-6 over the next six minutes to seal the victory.

"I told the guys after the game, this is all on me," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "I didn't do a good job at all preparing them for the kind of game that this was going to be and how we had to compete. I take all the heat for this loss."

Tyrese Haliburton recorded a double-double for Indiana in the loss, tallying 15 points and 11 assists. Hield finished with 16 points and five rebounds, going 4-for-9 from 3-point range.

Garland led Cleveland with 24 points and six assists while going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Isaac Okoro scored 20 points, Mitchell added 19 points and six dimes, and Allen (18 points and 13 rebounds) and Evan Mobley (17 points and 10 boards) both recorded double-doubles.

The Pacers will have two days off before heading to Miami to take on the Heat on Wednesday. They will return to Indianapolis to host Phoenix on Friday.

Turner recorded his third straight double-double and his 15th overall. With three blocks, he now has 1,095 for his career -- one more than Herb Williams amassed during his time with Indiana. Turner now just trails Rik Smits (1,111) and Jermaine O'Neal (1,245) on the franchise's all-time list.

Haliburton recorded his team-leading 24th double-double of the season on Sunday.

The Cavaliers had a distinct advantage from beyond the arc, going 15-for-37 (40.5 percent) to Indiana's 8-for-32 (25 percent).

Hield made four more 3-pointers on Sunday, the sixth time in his last eight games that he has made at least four treys. He has a league-leading 208 made 3-pointers on the season, trailing only Paul George (210 in 2015-16) and Reggie Miller (229 in 1996-97) for the most threes made by a Pacer in a single season.

The Pacers did an admirable job on Mitchell early. The All-Star guard missed his first six attempts and did not score until five minutes were remaining in the second quarter. He went 6-for-12 the rest of the game, but shot just 2-for-10 from 3-point range.

After going 9-for-15 from 3-point range over his previous two games, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc on Sunday.

"They did a good job of controlling me in the pick-and-roll, controlling us in the pick-and-roll. And I think we're better when we're getting stops. We weren't able to get stops and that kept us out of transition and allowed us to set their defense. Kudos to them. They played a heck of a game and a lot of guys contributed for them tonight." -Haliburton on Cleveland's defensive success

"Everybody is going to pay a lot of attention to Tyrese Haliburton. Guy's an All-Star and people know the impact that he has on our team. I've got to do a better job, our coaching staff's got to do a better job of putting him in the right situations." -Carlisle on how defenses are focusing on slowing down Haliburton

"I think it's just a testament to the film study and the work I put in on the floor. The other testament is to the trust and belief that my teammates have in me, putting me in good positions to be successful. And overall, I just think that I've been more aggressive." -Turner on his strong offensive play in recent games

"He's just continued to be consistent. He's playing well, his reads are good. I thought he gathered and went strong in a lot of instances tonight -- he's doing that better and better. He banged in a couple threes when we needed them." -Carlisle on Turner's contributions

"Just a vet, man. Solid. Been to the Finals, been on some good teams and he brings that experience to this roster." -Turner on backup center Daniel Theis, who had seven points, two rebounds, and two blocks off the bench in his third game since returning from knee surgery

From the 6:35 mark in the second quarter to the 9:39 mark in the third, Cleveland outscored Indiana 37-13.

The Pacers travel to Miami for their fourth and final regular season meeting with Jimmy Butler and the Heat on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 PM ET.

The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns on Friday, Feb. 10 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets >>