3 takeaways from Cavs 114-112 loss to Pacers
The Cavs C team couldn’t hang with the Pacers’ starters
The Cleveland Cavaliers were without four of their five starters against a full-strength Indiana Pacers team. Cleveland’s number of available players kept dwindling throughout the game until they were left with a closing lineup featuring Tristan Thompson.
Still, the Cavs were two points away from stealing what was an overall fun game.
The Cavs withstood the Pacers’ initial punch in the first quarter. Seven quick points from Ty Jerome helped buoy a Cleveland offense that was struggling to find itself early on.
The offense then came alive in the second quarter. They dominated inside as they went 5-7 in the restricted area and 5-8 in the short midrange. This was in conjunction with collecting seven second-chance points.
That was good enough for a 33-point second quarter that resulted in Cleveland taking a slim four-point lead into the break.
Things started to slip away near the end of the third, but a rare Kenny Atkinson ejection for arguing with the refs sparked a 4-0 run to end the quarter. The Cavs carried a one-point lead into the final frame.
Cleveland needed all the help they could get in the fourth. They decided to stick to their plan of not over-extending their best remaining available players, which meant Jerome didn’t play the fourth quarter.
Fortunately for the Cavs, Sam Merrill was there to pick up the slack. He nailed four triples at the start of the quarter to keep the offense on schedule. That was needed as the Cavs kept taking some of their regular players out of the lineup until they were left with a closing group of Craig Porter Jr., Isaac Okoro, Javonte Green, Jaylon Tyson, and Thompson.
Predictably, that lineup wasn’t enough to hang with Indiana’s starters. The Cavs’ third stringers still put up a valiant fight. Tyson missed a mid-range jumper at the buzzer that would’ve forced overtime.
The loss means that the Cavs can’t tie the 2008-09 team’s 66 wins for most in franchise history.
The Cavs were led by Jerome and his 24 points on 9-16 shooting with six assists in just 26 minutes of play. De’Andre Hunter wasn’t far behind as he provided 23 points on 9-19 shooting with 11 boards. Merrill added 15 points on 5-8 shooting from three.
Jarrett Allen started this one, but only played the first half. He finished with three points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes.
Tyrese Haliburton scored a team-high 23 points on 8-16 shooting to go along with 10 assists and eight rebounds. Aaron Nesmith wasn’t far behind with 22 points and six boards.
Even though this wasn’t a win, it was a fun game and a great effort from Cleveland’s B and C teams.
The offensive process was good despite being shorthanded
Offenses are usually built completely around what your best players provide. As such, things usually fall apart offensively when you’re without multiple All-Stars, even if you’re a team with good depth.
This game showed that while the offense is constructed around Donovan Mitchell and company, it doesn’t revolve around them. The ball and player movement that has made the Cavs the best offense in the league all season was still there. This resulted in clean looks for their shooters as they went 17-37 (45.9%) from beyond the arc.
De’Andre Hunter can get rebounds
The Cavs will need to close playoff games with Hunter at the four, especially against smaller teams like the Pacers or switchable opponents like the Boston Celtics. For those groups to work, they need to be able to end defensive possessions.
Indiana isn’t usually going to beat you up on the offensive glass. They’re 29th in offensive rebounding percentage. Still, it’s good to see Hunter have an effective game on the boards as he grabbed 10 big defensive rebounds. This included securing five in the third quarter when he was primarily playing alongside Dean Wade as the only other forward.
The offense is so good when they can space the floor with Hunter at the four. Groups with Hunter and Evan Mobley on the court without either Wade or Jarrett Allen have registered a blistering 124.6 offensive rating (97th percentile) in 362 possessions. They’re also in the 11th percentile in defensive rebounding.
Close playoff games will come down to a few possessions. That means you can’t give any away on the offensive glass.
Even though Hunter hasn’t been a consistent rebounder in Cleveland, nights like this show that he can be a serviceable one with his size when he’s making a concerted effort to do so. Whether or not that can be turned on or off like this remains to be seen. What we can say is that he’s capable of turning it on for one night against a bad offensive rebounding team like the Pacers.
Ty Jerome keeps cooking
Jerome has made the most of whatever opportunity he’s been given this season. At the start of the year, he was making the best use of the spot and garbage time minutes. Tonight, he took advantage of being the focal point of the offense through the first two and a half quarters.
Jerome’s season has been improbable and one that only he saw coming. This was a good example of what has made him so valuable all season.
He was able to score at all three levels, making him a headache for Indiana’s defense.
We all know mid-range shots are inefficient and not a staple of most modern offenses. But if you’re someone who can efficiently score in the in-between game, it can open up the floor for open threes and drives to the basket. Tonight’s game showed that.
Jerome was consistently able to efficiently get to his floaters. When the Pacers tried to pressure him to take that away, he blew them a layup at the rim. When they sagged off of him, he drained pull-up threes.
These advantages also extended to his playmaking. Jerome’s six assists were the result of the angles and space he makes when he’s knifing inside or by making the extra pass. He’s shown to be the complete offensive package as a backup point guard and not just a microwave scorer who is only looking for theirs
This was Jerome’s third straight impressive performance since returning from his knee injury on Sunday. He’s scored 18 or more points in each game since coming back. Jerome seems to be peaking just in time for the playoffs.