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The red-hot Indiana Pacers are searching for their fifth consecutive win Thursday, hosting a Cleveland Cavaliers team that has been the dominant force in the Eastern Conference all season.

The Cavaliers (63-16) clinched the No. 1 seed in the East by beating the Chicago Bulls 135-113 on Tuesday. If Cleveland were to win its final three regular-season games, it would match the franchise record of 66 wins set by the 2008-09 team led by LeBron James.

“I think you celebrate these moments,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I think we got out of the gate so quick, we got ahead of it early. We had some ups and downs this last month, but I’m really proud of the guys and proud of the organization. It’s hard to win 63 games in this league. It’s hard to be the first seed. We all know that.”

While matching the franchise wins record would be nice, it likely isn’t the highest priority. With the first seed in the bag, Cleveland could rest its stars for one or more of their remaining games.

“It’s kind of going to be a collaborative thing,” Atkinson said. “The players are a part of this — I’ll talk to all of them. They’re not going to get out of shape, right? You don’t decondition, I’m not worried about that. It’s more rhythm.”

The Pacers (48-31) also have an incentive to win out. If Indiana wins its final three games and the Knicks lose their final three, the Pacers clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Instead of facing the likely No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks with recent NBA championship experience, Indiana would be tasked with facing an upstart Detroit Pistons team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019.

Indiana is coming off a 104-98 win over the bottom-feeding Washington Wizards on Tuesday, led by a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double by Pascal Siakam. Tyrese Haliburton added 22 points and seven assists but was on the receiving end of a highlight-reel crossover from Washington rookie Bub Carrington.

Siakam’s return was a welcome sight after he missed the Pacers’ 125-120 win over the Nuggets on Sunday.

“The guy played a great all-around game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “But the beauty of his game is that it’s an understated greatness that he has. He’s always essential to what we’re doing. He’s always very consistent and, you know, being able to steal a win in Denver without him was big for us because it allowed him to get a needed three days of rest.”

Siakam leads the Pacers in scoring and rebounding this season, averaging 20.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Haliburton leads Indiana and ranks third in the NBA with 9.6 assists per game, though that total is down from his league-leading 10.9 assists per game last season.

Donovan Mitchell leads the Cavaliers in scoring with 24 points per game, while backcourt mate and fellow All-Star Darius Garland averages 20.6 points and a team-high 6.7 assists per game.

Cleveland also possesses a lethal frontcourt. Evan Mobley averages 18.6 points per game and presents a stifling presence as one of the league’s best inside defenders. His partner-in-crime, Jarrett Allen, averages 13.8 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds per game.

–Field Level Media