Cavs Stop the Skid

Three straight losses, all at home and including the Pacers, were how the Cavs entered the Garden on Wednesday night. Well, they advanced to 2-0 on the road thanks to Donovan Mitchell’s 30-point performance. When Cleveland faced Indiana the first time it was on the second half of a back-to-back. That’s not the case now, which should help a defense that limited the Knicks to 89 points two nights prior. The defense was last season’s calling card, and the Cavaliers aren’t expecting anything different his season. So far, they’ve held teams to 58.8% shooting at the rim. Only 34.7% of their opponent’s attempts have come from deep. They aren’t forcing as many turnovers yet, nor has the club’s rebounding improved much. Injuries, particularly to Jarrett Allen, haven’t helped them dominate yet. However, Wednesday showed the Cavs team that most people expect to see, something that they can build on this weekend.

Now, the offense was shaky last year and hasn’t grown much after five 2023 games. Once again, Donovan Mitchell is leading the way, averaging 31.5 points per game entering this contest. Cleveland isn’t getting to the free throw line often, but they make up for it with the NBA’s sixth-best turnover rate. The team’s shooting is ugly (26th in field goal percentage, 25th at the rim, 20th on threes), so they can’t afford to waste possessions. Rebounding isn’t helping much either. Cleveland’s supporting cast is not knocking down enough shots for them to be seen as a legitimate threat. Even with limited offensive firepower, they still win games.

The Pacers Set the Pace

Only one team plays at a higher tempo than Indiana this season. When it works, as it did in the team’s first two games, the results are pretty. When it doesn’t, like the club’s 155-104 loss against Boston, the game doesn’t appear competitive. It doesn’t help that the Pacers are also one of the NBA’s worst teams in defensive rating. They’re the worst unit at forcing turnovers, 28th in free throw rate, and 27th in defensive rebounding percentage. Their opponents have also shot 43.9% on threes (30th) and taken 45.4% of their shots at the rim (30th). Myles Turner saves them at the rim defensively. There aren’t a lot of positives when Indiana doesn’t have the ball.

When possession belongs to the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton (questionable for this game) leads them with 20.0 points and 12.3 assists per game. He also has Indiana with the lowest turnovers per game and turnover rate in the NBA despite playing more possessions than most teams. The Pacers are lethal on midrange shots, knocking down 47.2% of their attempts (2nd in the NBA). Everything isn’t perfect though, such as a 31.7% clip on threes (23rd) and the league’s second-lowest free throw rate. The Pacers don’t rebound well on this end either. Regardless, they are fifth in points per game, which is how they aim to win.