In what can be considered a major upset, the Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-93. The Pacers were absolutely great as a team, despite some of their key players not playing at the level needed on the night. And they brought the grit and determination against the best team in the NBA, making them fight for every possession. In the end, the Cavaliers just couldn’t compete on the night.
Pascal Siakam was the star of the show for the Indiana Pacers on the night, scoring 18 points (8-21 FG), nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks. Andrew Nembhard also performed well, with 19 points (7-11 FG), two rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Myles Turner had an important double-double with 15 points (5-10 FG), 10 rebounds, and one assist.
For the Cavaliers, their stars still put up big numbers but were not efficient at scoring. Darius Garland was the top scorer for the Cavs, putting up 20 points (7-16 FG), one rebound, and seven assists. Donovan Mitchell had a slightly inefficient evening, with 19 points (7-17 FG), three rebounds, one assist, and two steals. Evan Mobley played well, with 16 points (6-10 FG), 12 rebounds, one assist, and one block.
The Pacers were coming into the game in strong form, having won their last five games. However, the Cavs would have been strong favorites, as they are the best team in the NBA. They have lost just four games and came into tonight’s game with a 12-game winning streak. Clearly, tonight reminded fans that anything can happen on any given night in the NBA.
With that in mind, here are three reasons why the Pacers defeated the Cavaliers:
Massive Bench Rotation Underdelivers
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson uncharacteristically played a 13-man rotation on the night, bringing eight players off the bench. But almost no player from the bench made an impact, with all eight players being held under 10 points. The entire bench unit combined for just 24 points, with an average of three points per player. A shocking display on the night.
Atkinson’s decision to bring eight players off the bench was surprising. Perhaps he recognized the challenge the Pacers were posing quite early and tried to bring on some other players to change things up and find a source of inspiration that they hadn’t relied on in the past. But it didn’t work out the way he hoped.
The Cavaliers don’t usually play with so many players coming off the bench. Usually, a methodical coach like Atkinson wouldn’t try to upset the rotation like this. We’ve seen Coach Kenny rely on just a five or six-man rotation throughout the season, even as far back as the Cavs’ previous game against the Raptors.
Cavaliers Can’t Convert From Deep
In yet another rare sight tonight, the Cavaliers were abysmal from beyond the arc. As a team, the Cavs shot 11-41 from range, converting just 26.8% from the three-point line. Dean Wade, Georges Niang, and Max Strus, who are three of the Cavs’ trusted shooters from deep, couldn’t get it going tonight, shooting a combined 3-14 from range, making just 21.4% from distance.
The Cavaliers’ starters combined to go 8-23 from the three-point line, converting 34.7% from deep, which isn’t ideal, but certainly not disastrous. But once again, the aforementioned Cavs’ bench lets them down, as they combined for a horrible 3-18 from beyond the arc, converting just 16.6% of their shots from range.
The Cavaliers are usually incredibly reliable from range. They lead the NBA in three-point percentage this season, having converted 50.2% of their shots, a little over half of their attempts. They also rank third in total three-pointers made this year, with 615 threes in 38 games, right behind the Celtics and the Bulls. So tonight can be chalked up to an off-night, but it is a warning sign that the Cavs are not unbeatable from deep.
Pacers Force Costly Mistakes In Possessions
The Indiana Pacers were quite good on the defensive end tonight. They forced the Cavaliers to turn the ball over 13 times. At least 11 of those turnovers came from steals, as the Pacers defenders were quick with their hands tonight. Getting one of the best teams in the NBA to continuously struggle with the ball in their hands.
The Cavaliers’ starting lineup turned the ball over eight times during the game, with four of those turnovers coming from Darius Garland alone. It was an uncharacteristically weak performance with the ball in their hands from the Cavs, who have been one of the best teams protecting the ball this season.
The Cavaliers have turned the ball over 498 times across 38 games this season, ranking fourth in the NBA for total turnovers, and third for least turnovers per game with 13.0. While tonight was an average night by their figures, the difference was in how costly the turnovers proved to be for them
The Cavaliers will look to put this loss behind them, as they take on the Pacers once again Tuesday night at 7 PM EST. Having seen what the Pacers can do to them, Kenny Atkinson will make sure his team is better prepared to handle last year’s Eastern Conference Finalists on Tuesday night.
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