Cavs lose to Indiana Pacers 129-117

Cavs drop their second preseason game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell 129-117 to the Indiana Pacers, falling to 0-2 in the NBA preseason. Cleveland sat four of their usual five starters.

Indiana boasted their usual offensive potency, running the floor and scoring in bunches. Bennedict Mathurin scorched the Cavs for 25 points in just 19 minutes off the bench while his team finished the game shooting 16-39 from deep.

As for the Cavs, it was a short-handed night as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Max Strus and Evan Mobley were absent. Jarrett Allen turned in a respectable 15 minutes, scoring 13 points and nabbing 6 rebounds. Ty Jerome led the squad in scoring with 15 points (5-14 shooting) and 8 assists. Craig Porter had his best game in months, posting an efficient 14 points and 4 assists.

There wasn’t much defense played in this game. Neither team had the personnel nor the willingness to compete on that end. Considering it’s only preseason, who can blame them? But creating advantages on offense was an issue for the Cavs with even Caris LeVert joining the inactive list. The Cavaliers believe in their depth — but things get thin when six rotational players are on the sidelines.

We received an extended look at 20th overall pick Jaylon Tyson. He struggled to establish himself offensively in his debut, shooting just 2-6 but grew more comfortable tonight for 11 points on 5-7 shooting. Tyson is exerting himself on the glass, leading the team in rebounding in both preseason games thus far. He’ll have to prove he can properly space the floor and play without the ball, eventually. But for now, Tyson is making himself a steady contributor across the board.

Other Cavaliers such as Jules Bernard (11 points, 3-7 three-point shooting) and Luke Travers (6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists) had quality nights.

Cleveland’s next preseason game is Oct. 16 in Detroit.