Fresh off the back of snapping the Cleveland Cavaliers' run of 12 back-to-back victories, the Indiana Pacers welcome the Cavs to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the second of their two consecutive home-and-home meetings on Wednesday.
While the Cavaliers endured a disappointing end to their four-game homestand last time out, Indiana will be looking to make it three straight wins in this fixture since pre-season and maintain their 100% record in 2025.
Match preview
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The Cleveland Cavaliers were condemned to their first defeat since December 9 as they were beaten 108-93 by the Indiana Pacers in the first of their double-header at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Monday morning.
The Cavs looked on course for another victory as they ran up 15 points in the third quarter, but Indiana went on a 32-7 run to overturn this deficit and enter a 10-point lead, a run which propelled them to a second victory over the home side since pre-season.
Cleveland endured a cold shooting night as they scored under 100 points for the first time this season, going 33-of-83 from the field, and while they are the league's leading side from three (40.1%), they made just 11 of their 41 attempts from beyond the arc.
Before that, Kenny Atkinson's men were on a run of 12 back-to-back victories, stretching back to a 122-113 loss against the Miami Heats at the Kaseya Arena on December 9 and had won each of their last 10 home games since November's 135-124 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks.
The Cavaliers have lost just five games this season while claiming 33 wins from their 38 matches to sit top of the Eastern Conference standings with a 0.868 winning percentage, just one win above second-placed Boston Celtics.
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As for Indiana Pacers, six of their players finished with double figures on Monday, led by Andrew Nembhard, who knocked down 19 points, while Myles Turner tallied a 15-point 10-rebound double-double in Monday morning's victory over the Cavs.
While the Pacers are the 11th-leading scorers in the league, averaging 115.2 points per game, head coach Rick Carlisle will take pride in his side's defensive display as they limited Cleveland to 40 second-half points.
Indiana have now picked up six back-to-back victories since the turn of the year, including wins over the Miami Heat, the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors while averaging 118.7 points across the six games.
Carlisle's men have won seven of their most recent eight games since December 30 to improve to a 22-18 record from their 40 matches and sit fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, one win behind the Orlando Magic,
Indiana will now look to continue from where they left off at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as they eye a third consecutive home win since falling 120-112 at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks on December 31.
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Team News
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Tyrese Haliburton, who has appeared in all 40 games this term, was forced off at half time against the Cavaliers last time out through a left hamstring tightness and is a major doubt for Wednesday's matchup.
Isaiah Jackson has been out of action since suffering a torn Achilles back in November and the 22-year-old forward has been ruled out for the remainder of the season as he continues his long road to full fitness.
James Wiseman is also set to sit out the season having undergone surgery over an Achilles injury back in October while 25-year-old Aaron Nesmith is recuperating from an ankle injury.
As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Ty Jerome missed Monday's game at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse due to illness and is considered day-to-day heading into the midweek clash.
Emoni Bates underwent surgery last Wednesday after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee and the 21-year-old forward remains out of contention for the Cavs.
Indiana Pacers possible starting 5:
McConnell, Nembhard, Mathurin, Siakam, Turner
Cleveland Cavaliers possible starting 5:
Garland, Mitchell, Allen, Wade, Mobley
We say: Cleveland Cavaliers to win by 5+ points.
Following two physically draining victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Toronto Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers ran out of steam against Indiana last time and will be looking to bounce back at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. While we expect the Pacers to put up a fight, we are backing Atkinson's side to shake off their poor shooting display from Monday's defeat and get one over Indiana.
Joshua Ojele
