Despite losing Tyrese Haliburton due to hamstring tightness, the Indiana Pacers used balanced offense and stifling defense to end the host Cleveland Cavaliers’ 12-game winning streak with a 108-93 decision on Sunday.
Andrew Nembhard led the way with 19 points, Pascal Siakam added 18 points and nine rebounds, and Myles Turner recorded a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double for Indiana.
The Pacers were down 13 points coming out of halftime and did not have Haliburton for the second half. But with six Indiana scorers recording at least 11 points, the Pacers came up with the right offensive formula to complement an outstanding showing on the other end of the floor. They outscored Cleveland 68-40 in the second half.
Indiana became the first opponent to hold the high-scoring Cavaliers to fewer than 101 points this season. The 93-point outing also snapped streaks of 41 straight games in which Cleveland reached the century mark, and 31 consecutive games at home hitting 100 points or more.
The Pacers held the Cavaliers to just 33-of-83 shooting from the floor (39.8 percent), including 11-of-41 from 3-point range (26.8 percent). Indiana limited Cleveland’s season-long leading scorers Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland to 19 and 20 points, respectively.
Evan Mobley with 16 points and Jarrett Allen with 11 were the only other Cavaliers to score more than seven.
Indiana’s Jarace Walker had a career-high 12 rebounds, matching Mobley’s game high, leading Indiana to a 61-47 advantage on the glass. The Pacers used their rebounding edge to push the tempo, outscoring Cleveland 15-3 on fastbreak points.
Walker’s eight points also helped the Indiana bench outscore the Cleveland reserves, 42-24. Obi Toppin led Indiana’s second unit with 12 points and Thomas Bryant scored 11 on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor.
Bennedict Mathurin added another 12 points in the win for Indiana.
–Field Level Media
