Game Rewind: Pacers 85, Cavaliers 98

It was a tale of two halves as the Pacers met the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time this season. In the first half, the Pacers' defense appeared stout. The squad held the hosts to a season-low 36 first-half points. It was also the fewest points scored by a Pacers opponent this season.

However, things started to change in the second half. Cracks began appearing in the third as Cleveland clawed back into the game. Then, everything changed in the blink of an eye in the fourth.

The Cavs scored the first 19 points of the final frame to take an insurmountable lead. Indiana (19-36) fell, 98-85, on Sunday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse after the Pacers scored 38 points in the second half.

Veterans Cedi Osman and Kevin Love did most of the damage for Cleveland (32-22) in the fourth. The duo hit seven total threes over the first six minutes. Osman finished with 22 points — 18 in the fourth — while Love tallied 19. Veteran Rajon Rondo also added 15 more. Cleveland started 8-for-8 in the fourth quarter.

"We struggled to stop them in the fourth," Rick Carlisle said postgame. "They got in transition. They got it on the boards. (And) our good shots weren't going down that stretch where they went on a pretty substantial run."

Chris Duarte led Indiana with 22 points and five rebounds. Duane Washington Jr. recorded 17, and Justin Holiday was the third and final Pacer in double digits with 10.

After neither team scored over the first 2:23, Indiana raced out to a 9-1 advantage with 8:12 left in the first. Duarte contributed five points to the run, including a physical three-point play in the paint.

From there, the Pacers continued to play solid basketball. With Domantas Sabonis and Goga Bitadze returning from injury, the squad's interior defense appeared much improved. The Cavaliers connected on just two of their first 11 shots.

Indiana's lead swelled to double digits near the midway mark. At the 5:42 mark, Keifer Sykes, the six-foot rookie, completed a fast break with a high-flying slam through a foul. He flexed towards the Pacers' bench and promptly sank the ensuing free throw. The energetic finish was part of a 12-0 Pacers run that secured a 23-5 edge with 3:13 to play.

Down the stretch, the Pacers' defense held the Cavs in check. The Blue & Gold carried a 27-12 lead into the second quarter. Cleveland shot 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) from the field.

The Pacers started the second stanza with a 7-2 spurt over the first two minutes. It extended the advantage to 20 (34-14) for the first and only time.

However, Cleveland finally found its footing to cut into the deficit. A bevy of Cavs players contributed to a 12-0 run that trimmed the Pacers' lead to 34-26 with 6:03 to go. After a 4:09 Indiana scoring drought, Washington Jr. finally stopped the spree with a jumper from the right elbow.

Washington, Terry Taylor, and Holiday pushed the Pacers' lead back to double digits with 2:03 left. Taylor fought for numerous offensive boards against the much-taller Jarrett Allen. With 31.1 seconds to play, he added the final points of the frame, drilling a floater over Allen. Indiana led 47-36 at the break.

Cleveland started the third quarter with a 6-0 run from rookie Evan Mobley. The Pacers did not find a bucket until Holiday canned a three at the 9:09 mark.

But still, Indiana held onto a slim lead. Domantas Sabonis provided the highlight, slamming home a thunderous dunk over Allen's head. He then added a free throw with 6:46 to play to give Indiana a 53-47 lead.

As the quarter ticked on, Duarte kept the Pacers in front. The rookie tallied 10 straight Pacers points, including a 26-foot step-back triple from the left side with 3:12 left. The big-time bucket earned a 63-55 Pacers lead.

Down the stretch, Duarte provided the spark again. Indiana's lead stretched to 10 before Cleveland responded with six unanswered. Then, with time winding down, Duarte squared up his defender, dribbled left, and found just enough space to fire off a trey. The ball sank at the buzzer, pushing Indiana's lead to 68-61 before the final frame.

But the wheels fell off in the final frame.

Osman scored eight unanswered points to give the hosts a two-point advantage. Then, Love canned a pair of threes, adding to the Pacers' misery. Osman then came back and added five more. In 3:10, the Cavs flipped a seven-point deficit into an 80-68 advantage.

Washington broke the spree with a three at the 8:30 mark. But Love sank another 48 seconds later. Torrey Craig tried to stop Cleveland with his first trey. Yet, Osman answered with his fourth. No matter what the Pacers tried, they could not prevent Cleveland's shots from falling.

At the 5:35 mark, Rondo hit just his 12th triple of the season. The surprise bucket took the wind out of the Pacers’ sails for the remainder of the game.

Cleveland outscored Indiana, 86-58, over the final three quarters.

The Cavs' bench outscored the Pacers’ bench, 62-32. The trio of Osman, Love, and Rondo contributed 56 points.

Washington Jr. has finished with double figures in six of his last eight games. He’s scored 15 or more in for of his last five.

"I wish I knew. I think they shot the ball very very well. They kind of changed it up a little bit on us and we didn’t answer back. That's what I would say right now." –Holiday on the dramatic change from quarter 3 to 4

"There was a good balance of outside shooting and straight-line drives. I liked the way he moved the ball tonight. He rebounded pretty well — five boards, couple of assists. He was a ball mover and an energy giver tonight. Those kinds of things really help enhance his game, and our team's entire game as well." –Carlisle on Duarte's performance

The Cavaliers finished 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) from the field, including 8-of-11 from deep, in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers wrap up a two-game road trip in Atlanta against Trae Young and the Hawks on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 PM ET.

The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhoouse to host Darius Garland and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »