1. First Quarter

After snapping their eight-game losing streak on Wednesday, Rick Carlisle elected to start the same lineup that he rolled out against Charlotte – Andrew Nembhard, Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and Isaiah Jackson. The lead was see sawing back and forth through the first four minutes of the game. Cleveland pushed its lead to four points for the first time with 7:28 left in the quarter following an Evan Mobley slam. Indiana would come back to tie the game a couple of times before taking a brief 20-19 lead when Mathurin connected on a triple with 4:42 left in the first quarter. Indiana and Cleveland would tie four more times the rest of the period, but the Pacers never possessed the lead. After twelve minutes, Cleveland led Indiana 33-31 behind 12 first quarter points from Mobley. Indiana’s leading scorer was Nembhard with 12 points followed by Siakam with 8 points. Indiana shot it well in the first period, 47.6% from the floor, 50% (5/10) on three-pointers, and 6/6 from the free throw line. Cleveland’s percentages were 50%, 27.3% (3/11), and 72.7% (8/11). What kept Cleveland’s offense afloat was the fact that they outscored Indiana 16-6 in the paint.

2. Second Quarter

In the first quarter, Indiana’s biggest deficit was five points. Cleveland would quickly top that in the second quarter by scoring six quick points to go ahead by eight after a Donavan Mitchell fadeaway jumper. The Pacers countered with a 10-2 run to tie the contest at 41-41 with a Siakam layup in transition after a Jay Huff block. The Pacers stayed within striking distance for the most part the rest of the half and possessed the lead a couple of times but not by more than a point. De’Andre Hunter capped a 6-0 run with 3:14 left to go in the half with a layup to put the Cavaliers ahead by six points. Darius Garland then put his team ahead by seven with two free throws and then again in the final seconds with a thirty-five-foot three-pointer. At halftime, Indiana’s deficit was 62-55. Garland was responsible for 13 of Cleveland’s 29 points in the period and led all players with 18 points in the first half. Mathurin (9) and Siakam (8) combined for 17 of Indiana’s 24 points. Both teams had three players in double figures in the first half – Siakam (16), Mathurin (14), Nembhard (14), Mobley (12), and Mitchell (12).

3. Third Quarter

The second half started very similarly to the second quarter. Cleveland extended its lead to nine points just over two minutes into the second half with a Mitchell layup. The Pacers were able to keep it within seven to nine points for the next two minutes, but their offense went stagnant after that. A Mitchell triple with 7:11 left in the quarter pushed the Cavaliers ahead of the Pacers by 12 points, the first double digit lead of the game. Things started getting out of hand tonight for the Pacers when the Cavaliers lead reached 16 points with 5:46 left in the game when Hunter hit a three-pointer. Indiana would shave five points off its deficit, but there was one final punch delivered by Cleveland. The Cavaliers closed the final 2:19 with a 9-2 run to go into the fourth quarter leading 100-81. Donovan Mitchell erupted for 14 points in the quarter to lead all players in the quarter. Indiana’s leader was Andrew Nembhard with 12 points. Indiana only made 8 shots in the third quarter, all two-pointers. The Pacers were fortunate to go 10/11 at the line. The Cavaliers torched the Pacers on the glass in the quarter, outrebounding the Pacers 19-6 with eight of those being offensive, leading to 9 second chance points. Going into the final quarter, Donovan Mitchell and Andrew Nembhard were leading all players in scoring with 32 points.

4. Fourth Quarter

Cleveland’s advantage would eclipse twenty points immediately to start the fourth quarter when Mitchell hit another three-pointer on the opening possession of the final quarter. Indiana would go on a 9-0 run to cut its deficit down to 11 points on consecutive threes from T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, and Pascal Siakam. Cleveland called a timeout, but it didn’t stop Indiana’s momentum. McConnell’s patented mid-range jumper went through the basket with 6:10 left in the game to make it an eight-point game. Cleveland called a timeout with 4:13 left to get Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley into the game, and that was what got the Cavaliers over the top. Those two each hit a three coming out of the timeout to push their lead back to sixteen points. Indiana could not come up with enough makes and stops with 3:14 left, resulting in Rick Carlisle waiving the white flag with just over a minute left. Indiana falls to 0-2 in NBA Cup Group Play with a 120-109 loss to Cleveland, who improves to 2-1.

5. Top Performers

Donovan Mitchell (32p, 9r, 5a), Evan Mobley (22p, 12r, 4a, 4b), De’Andre Hunter (20p, 7r, 2s), Darius Garland (20p, 7a), and Jaylon Tyson (14p, 8r, 3a). For Indiana, Andrew Nembhard (32p, 8a, 2s), Pascal Siakam (26p, 9r, 4a), Bennedict Mathurin (21p, 7r), and T.J. McConnell (10p, 4a, 3r). For tonight’s full box score, click here.

6. Notes

• Indiana is now 0-9 on the road this season, second worst start in franchise history
• Indiana drops to 0-2 in NBA Cup Group Play and will not advance to the knockout round
• Andrew Nembhard has scored 15+ points in 6 straight games, a career best
• Andrew Nembhard has scored 20+ points in 4 games this season
• Andrew Nembhard has scored 30+ points in 2 games in his career
• Andrew Nembhrad’s 32 points are the most in any game since high school
• Ben Sheppard’s 5 assists are a season high, one shy of a career high
• Bennedict Mathurin has scored 20+ points in all 5 games this season
• Darius Garland’s scored 20+ points in 2 games this season (only 4th played game)
• Darius Gardland’s 20 points tied a season high
• De’Andre Hunter has scored 20+ points in 6 games this season
• Donovan Mitchell has scored 20+ points in 14 of 15 games played
• Donavan Mitchell has scored 30+ points in 9 games this season
• Evan Mobley recorded his 6th double-double of the season
• Jay Huff has blocked 2+ shots in 11 games this season
• Jay Huff has blocked 3+ shots in 5 games this season, including last 2
• Jaylon Tyson has scored 10+ points in 7 of his last 8 games
• Lonzo Ball’s 7 rebounds tied a season high
• Pascal Siakam has scored 20+ points in 11 of Indiana’s 15 games

7. Next Up

The Indiana Pacers will return home and take on the Detroit Pistons for the first time in Indianapolis on Monday night. In their first meeting, Detroit defeated Indiana 127-112 without Cade Cunningham. Jalen Duren dominated, recording 31 points and 15 rebounds. If Detroit defeats Milwaukee pm Saturday, they will be 14-2 and riding a 12-game winning streak into Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Pat Boylan will get things underway at 6:30pm and Mark Boyle will have the play-by-play with Eddie Gill at 7pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.