The Cavs(33-22) begin a quick two-game road trip in Indiana against the Pacers(25-30) on Sunday night.
Cleveland used a dominant second quarter to defeat the Pacers 122-103 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Cavs have won two straight, while the Pacers have lost 12 of their last 14 games.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Pacers.
The Great:
The Cavs’ Starting Five:
Isaac Okoro scored a season-high 20 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Okoro has shown improvement of late and has been in double figures in the last two games.
Darius Garland led the Cavs with 24 points and six assists. Again, Garland continues to show why he should have been an All-Star.
Donovan Mitchell started slow(he missed his first four shots in the opening quarter) but picked it up in the second quarter, where he scored nine of his 19 points. Mitchell added three rebounds and six assists.
Jarrett Allen had his third straight double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Evan Mobley had his second-straight double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks.
According to Elias Sports, this was the fourth time in team history that all five starters scored 17-plus points in a regular season game.
Sharing is Caring: Cleveland had 33 assists on 46 field goals. They were unselfish, and everyone benefitted, and Ricky Rubio led the way with nine assists off the bench. This was Cleveland’s fourth straight game with 30-plus assists.
Second Quarter: Cleveland led by two at the end of the first quarter and busted things open in the second, where they shot 56% from the field. Indiana had a 37-36 lead with 6:54 left in the quarter, and the Cavs closed things out the right way as they outscored Indiana 26-9 to take a 62-46 lead at halftime. Cleveland would take their largest lead of 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Three-Point Shooting: Cleveland had a lot of success from three-point range as they were 15/37(41%) from behind the arc.
Not So Great:
Nothing to see here.
Bottom Line:
Cleveland had a terrific offensive game against Indiana. They were unselfish, made shots, and dominated the Pacers from the second quarter until the end. It’s just the Pacers, but this a good win for a team that has been mediocre on the road, and if Okoro can play like this going forward, they will win a lot of games. In fact, they are 10-4 when Okoro scores 10-plus points, so if he can play at a high level, Cleveland will only get better.
What’s Next:
Cleveland heads to Washington to battle the Wizards on Monday night.
Best of the Rest:
Myles Turner led Indiana with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and 11 assists; Buddy Hield chipped in with 16,
Cleveland recorded its league-leading 23rd victory by 10-plus points.
