Image courtesy of Erik Drost/Flickr.
The Indiana Pacers fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-106 in overtime Monday night. It was a tough game, with Indiana once again making key mistakes late in the fourth quarter to fumble away the game. Cleveland capitalized on Indiana’s mistakes, and hit clutch shot after clutch shot to ice the game, including two beauties from Kyrie Irving and an offensive rebound by LeBron James. It was Cleveland’s first victory in Indiana in over five years.
Cleveland was up seven after the end of the first. Kevin Love started hot with eight points and three rebounds, while George Hill added five points and an assist. The Cavaliers extended their lead to 11 by halftime, with LeBron scoring 17 points in the first half. George Hill caught fire in the second quarter, scoring 10 points.
Indiana had a strong third quarter, outscoring the Cavs by 13 to take a two-point lead heading into the fourth. Cleveland had a 14-point lead at one point, but the Pacers fought all the way back. George Hill had 20 points after the third, while LeBron James had 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
The fourth quarter was certainly exciting. The Pacers extended their lead to 89-84, but a turnover and a missed shot brought the game to a tie. Late in the fourth, LeBron James drove to the hoop for a dunk and was met by rookie Myles Turner for the block. Turner ended with four blocks, and had his first career double-double. However, a clutch hook shot from LeBron and a jumper by Kyrie tied the game once again. Monta, for the second time this week, had a chance to nail the winning shot, but missed on an ugly jumper and the game headed to overtime.
In overtime, it was Kyrie Irving’s game. He hit a mid-range jump shot, and drained four straight free throws to ice the game for good. In his career, Irving is 32-32 from the free-throw line in overtime. LeBron grabbed an offensive rebound after a Kyrie missed jump shot, and that was the game. The Pacers lost a close one, but they were some positives and negatives.
Positive : Myles Turner
Myles Turner is getting better and better. He started his third career game, and record his first career double-double. He had 14 points (four in overtime) and grabbed 10 rebounds. He also blocked four shots and shot 43 percent from the floor.
Negative : Monta Ellis and Paul George
Since Monta Ellis had a great game Saturday he can be excused (sorta) for his poor shooting on Monday night. However, Paul George was terrible. He shot 3-15, scored 11 points, and had five turnovers. That’s an inexcusable game from the team’s best player. Hopefully, he can turn it around and get his legs back under him.
The Cavs travel to Charlotte on Wednesday for a game against the Hornets. The Pacers are heading to Brooklyn for a game against the Nets.
The loss snaps a two-game winning streak and drops the Pacers’ record to 25-23.
Regular Season Series (Game 2 of 4)
| Game 1: Sunday, November 8th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pacers | 97 | Final |
| Cavaliers | 101 | |
| Game 2: Monday, February 1st | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cavaliers | 111 | Final OT |
| Pacers | 106 | |
| Game 3: Monday, February 29th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pacers | 7:00 PM ET |
|
| Cavaliers | ||
| Game 4: Wednesday, April 6th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cavaliers | 7:00 PM ET |
|
| Pacers | ||
Cavaliers 111
(35-12, 16-9 away)
Pacers 106
(25-23, 15-8 home)
Coverage: NBATV
7:00 PM ET, February 1, 2016
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | T | |
| CLE | 33 | 27 | 15 | 21 | 15 | 111 |
| IND | 26 | 23 | 30 | 17 | 10 | 106 |
Top Performers
Cle: L. James 24 Pts, 12 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk
Ind: G. Hill 23 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl
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