Cleveland, OH
What to watch for in Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (47-33) will host the Indiana Pacers (46-34) in the second-to-last game of the regular season. The two teams are separated by one game in the Eastern Conference standings, with this game deciding the tiebreaker should it come to that to determine playoff positioning.
What: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers
Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland, OH
When: 7:30 PM EST
How to Watch: Bally Sports Ohio, NBA League Pass
Line: CLE -2.5
Expected Cavaliers Starting Lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Cavaliers Injury Report: Sam Merrill (neck, DOUBTFUL), Dean Wade (knee, OUT), Ty Jerome (ankle, OUT)
Expected Pacers Starting Lineup: Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Pacers Injury Report: Isaiah Jackson (hamstring, QUESTIONABLE), Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder, OUT), Quinton Jackson (G League, QUESTIONABLE), Isaiah Wong (G League, QUESTIONABLE), Oscar Tshiebwe (G League, QUESTIONABLE)
What to watch for: Playoff atmosphere
The Cavs may still need to win their game Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets, but one way to lessen that need would be to go out and beat the Pacers tonight. With a win, Cleveland would avoid the play-in, win the tiebreaker over Indiana, and put themselves in a position to host a playoff series. Despite having a dreadful last few weeks of the season, the Cavs could find themselves in the same position they were last year: starting the playoffs at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
This is a moot point if the Cavs come out flat, much like they did against the Memphis Grizzlies one game earlier. The Grizzlies, without any starters, held a three-point lead over the healthy Cavs at halftime. If they come out with the same level of intensity, the Cavs may have to climb a mountain in the second half. This is a test of not only Cleveland’s defense, as Indiana has the best offense in the league, but one of mental fortitude as well.
Poor body language, slack offense, and not getting back on defense have plagued the Cavs throughout the last several weeks. They cannot allow that aura to take over, or it’ll be a quick night.
What to watch for: Defensive intensity
Indiana has one of the best offenses in the league, leading the NBA in points per game, field goal percentage, and assists per game. They are also second in pace, effective field goal percentage, and offensive rating. Driven by Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, the Pacers are ripe to drop 125 points on any given night.
That means the Cavs will need to up their defensive intensity. They weren’t particularly good against the G League lineup Memphis rolled out last game, and the Pacers are an exponentially more potent monster. In their last 15 games, the Cavs essentially have the same defense as the Washington Wizards with a 116.3 defensive rating (24th in the league). In that same timeframe, the Pacers have the second-best offensive rating (120.8) in the league behind the Boston Celtics.
This is a scenario of two teams heading in opposite directions. The Pacers are playing well to round out the season while the Cavs are struggling to put away bad teams like Memphis. One way to help light a fire is to get active on the defensive end. Indiana is not a particularly adept defensive team (24th in the NBA), so if Cleveland can string together some stops and turn them into buckets on the other end it could be the catalyst to put their foot on the throat. But they need to find that gear.
One stat to watch for: Darius Garland shot attempts
The Cavs’ ceiling is centered on several players, but Darius Garland is at or near the top of that list. He has shown more aggressiveness on the offensive end of late, which is good to see. Following a bizarre stretch in which he never attempted more than 17 shots per game (most of those without Donovan Mitchell on the floor, mind you), Garland attempted 25 and 22 shots against the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers respectively. Against the Grizzlies, he only got up 13 shot attempts, hitting five of them, and going 2-9 from three-point territory.
Garland needs to be aggressive, particularly in getting to his spots and taking shots. His passiveness sometimes slows the Cavs down too much, and failing to start a posession until half the shot clock has expired allows opposing defenses to set up and counter. At the beginning of the season, J.B. Bickerstaff preached about having a more dynamic offense that is faster and more run-and-gun. Garland (and Mitchell, too) needs to be the tip of the spear for that against a Pacers’ defense that should have enough soft spots to exploit.