Cavs vs. Pacers preview and gamethread
Cleveland keeps winning, but last game against Toronto could’ve been better
The Cavaliers will look to push their winning streak to 13 games on Sunday evening.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (33-4) vs. Indiana Pacers (21-18)
Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse - Cleveland, OH
When: 6:00 p.m. - Sunday, Jan. 12
TV: Fanduel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA League Pass
Line: Cavaliers -9
Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.
Cavs injury report: Ty Jerome - DOUBTFUL (illness), JT Thor - OUT (G League), Emoni Bates - OUT (knee), Luke Travers - OUT (ankle)
Expected Pacers starting lineup: Andrew Nembhard, Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner
Pacers injury report: Aaron Nesmith - OUT (ankle), James Wiseman - OUT (Achilles tear), Isaiah Jackson - OUT (Achilles tear), Quenton Jackson - QUESTIONABLE (G League), Enrique Freeman - QUESTIONABLE (G League), Ray Dennis - OUT (G League)
What to watch for
A test for the defense
Head coach Kenny Atkinson hasn’t been impressed with the Cavs' defensive effort lately and understandably so. They’ve given up 120 points in two straight games which includes to a bad Toronto Raptors team.
“I’m disappointed in our defense,” said Atkinson after their win over the Raptors. “That’s two nights in a row I think we weren’t locked in. They shot over their heads for sure, but we weren’t good defensively at all.”
The Pacers aren’t the historically good offense they were last season, but they’re better than the Raptors and statistically around the same level as the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers play at a breakneck pace and feast on shots in the midrange. This is where the Thunder exposed the Cavs defense on Wednesday.
The Cavs have shown that they can win with just their offense. However, you’d like to see them return to some of the good habits they showed in late December and early January. This will be a good test to see where the defense is.