Monday night, the Pacers continued taking a step back after building a seven-game winning streak earlier in the month. They are now losers of four straight, with the most recent being in the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, 110-106.
Paul George and Myles Turner both had 20-plus points, but it was still short of matching the clutch play of Kawhi Leonard, who poured in 32 points and one key takeaway that sealed the game.
Against Cleveland, where Indy is 1-1 in the season series, we should see George (22.6 PPG) headlining the offensive attack (as usual), although Turner (15.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.2 BPG), Jeff Teague (15.6 PPG, 8.1 APG), or maybe even CJ Miles could produce big as well.
George (27), Teague (22), and Miles (22) each had 20 or more points in their meeting with the Cavaliers just a week ago, and they also combined for 11 triples. It was a good showing and all, except their defense gave up a whopping 132 points.
The Pacers are minus 10 in points in their last four games (107.5 PPG to 117.5 PAPG), while also allowing opponents to shoot 49 percent from the floor.
Indy is only 6-10 in their last 16 games on the road (7-9 ATS), and they haven’t beaten the Cavs at Quicken loans since LeBron James return to the city in 2014 (0-4 SU and 3-1 ATS).
Having no Kevin Love (knee) on Valentine’s Day wasn’t a problem for the Cavaliers. They put the Minnesota Timberwolves away, 118-106, despite facing a big night from Andrew Wiggins (41 points), Karl-Anthony Towns (26 points), and Ricky Rubio (16 assists).
Along with the all-around performance of LeBron James – 25 points, eight rebounds, 14 assists – the Cavs also enjoyed efficiency in their shots to edge out the Wolves (51.2 percent shooting). It was the fifth time in their last seven games that they shot above 50 percent.
This Wednesday, the same can be expected from the defending champs. Look for them to impose their scoring ability (111.2 PPG, 118.6 PPG in their last 10) and offensive efficiency.
Their last battle with Indy had them exploding for 132 points (16 three-pointers) on 55 percent shooting, with James, Irving, and Kyle Korver each scoring 25 or more points.
With Love out for at least the next six weeks, Korver and Channing Frye should get a greener light to hoist it from downtown, while Tristan Thompson should have a tougher job in the paint, although it will of course come with potentially better fantasy basketball stats.
Cleveland is 14-3 in their last 17 games at home (10-6-1 ATS).
