Cavs offense stalls out, lose to Pacers 108-93

Cleveland failed to score 100 points for the first time this season as they lose their 12-game winning streak.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson wasn’t happy with how his team has become too offensive-reliant in recent weeks. Those concerns came to bear as the offense was stuck in the mud all evening as they fell to the Indiana Pacers 108-93. The loss snaps a 12-game winning streak and is the first time this season Cleveland was held under 100 points.

The offense that has seemed invincible even in losses looked pretty ordinary on Sunday. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland couldn’t consistently generate clean shots and both struggled to protect the ball. The three-point shot that has been automatic nearly all season abandoned them when they needed it down the stretch as they went 11-41 (26%) from beyond the arc.

The Cavs had control of the game through three quarters as they took a 13-point advantage into the half. It seemed like despite the slow offensive start they were going to win, especially with Tyrese Haliburton being ruled out for the second half, but that isn’t what happened.

Indiana changed the momentum of the game by picking up full court. This took the Cavs' offense out of their rhythm and turned them into a team with only one half-court action before settling into an isolation jumper. In many ways, they looked like a version of last year’s team that would go stretches without generating decent shots.

On top of that, the Cavs couldn’t stop turning the ball over in the third quarter as they did so 12 times. This all created a perfect storm that allowed the Pacers to turn a 13-point deficit into a six-point advantage to start the fourth.

The Pacers kept their foot on the gas in the final frame. Their ability to continually hit timely shots allowed them to extend their lead until they put the final nail in the coffin with a banked-in Andrew Nembhard three with just under six minutes left in the fourth to give Indiana a 13-point lead.

The inept offense in the second half spoiled what was a good defensive effort through the first two quarters. The Cavs seemed to take Atkinson’s recent complaints about the defense to heart as they consistently made the second efforts and were a step ahead in their rotations. Although, it’s hard to be too satisfied with that effort considering how poorly they fell apart in the second half.

Evan Mobley was one of the few bright spots for Cleveland. He put up 16 points and 12 rebounds on 6-10 shooting in the loss.

Mitchell continues his recent cold stretch. He’s now gone four games without totaling 20 or more points. He ended with 19 on Sunday on 7-17 shooting with just one assist.

Garland wasn’t much better as he provided 20 points on 7-16 shooting with 7 assists along with 4 turnovers.

Cleveland’s bench didn’t provide much of a scoring punch. Niang was the only reserve to total more than 5 points as he finished with 7 on 3-6 shooting. Max Strus (3 points), Caris LeVert (2 points), Sam Merrill (3 points), and Isaac Okoro (3 points) all struggled to make an impact.

The loss is Cleveland’s fifth on the season and only their second at home. Even historically good regular season teams have stinkers.

The Cavs will look to get revenge on Indiana as they play them again on Tuesday.