Cavaliers slip past Pacers 101-97
BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BET WRITER
Since their season-opening loss to the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t experienced defeat. In Sunday’s matinee at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs (6-1) picked up their sixth straight win with a narrow 101-97 victory over the Indiana Pacers (3-4). The win was Cleveland’s 26th straight at home when scoring at least 100 points.
“I do know that we’re a tough out here in The Q, and the guys take pride in it,” Cavs head coach David Blatt said.
The Pacers and Cavs traded haymakers as the lead changed 21 times in the contest. Cleveland held a 97-92 lead when Cavs power forward Kevin Love sank a three-pointer with 27 second remaining in the fourth quarter. Pacers forward Paul George matched Love’s shot from long distance with a three-pointer of his own on the next possession, bringing Indiana within a 97-95 deficit with 18 second to play. Pacers point guard George Hill sank a layup with six seconds remaining that brought Indiana within two points, but LeBron James iced the game with two free throws in the final seconds.
“It was a good test for us,” James said. “A good early test to see if we can continue to stay poised, get some stops and execute down the stretch.”
James and Love were the catalysts for Cleveland’s victory. James led Cleveland with 29 points, six rebounds and four assists. With his eighth field goal against Indiana, James passed Jerry West (9,016) for 19th place in NBA history on the field goals made list. Love recorded his team-high fifth double-double of the season with 22 points and a game-high 19 rebounds. Love entered Sunday averaging 11.5 rebounds per game, which ranked fourth in the NBA.
“I’m getting a lot of great looks where I want to be, and I’m just trying to attack the glass more,” Love said. “From a comfort standpoint, yeah I feel a lot better.”
The Cavs are 4-0 at The Q this season and hold a 24-1 mark at home since Jan. 19 of last season. Over that 25-game stretch at The Q, Cleveland is outscoring opponents by nearly 13 points per game.
Cleveland’s success on the court can be directly attributed to the team’s ball movement. The Cavs entered Sunday dishing out 26.3 assists per game, ranking third in the NBA. Against the Pacers, Cleveland totaled 25 assists, led by Matthew Dellavedova, who produced a team-high nine assists to go along with five points.
George led the Pacers with a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Monta Ellis added 25 points, five rebounds and three assists to the Indiana effort.
The Cavs close out their four-game homestand against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
POSTED 11/08/2015 20:22
Lake County Sentinel
