Indiana Pacers poor shooting and late game flubs lead to loss vs Cleveland Cavaliers

The Pacers hosted the Cavs on Monday

The Indiana Pacers finished up a short homestand on Monday night as they welcomed the Cleveland Cavaliers to town. The Cavaliers were missing several key players for the action, but opponent quality hasn't mattered much for the blue and gold this season.

Cleveland entered the day with the worst record in their last 10 games of any East playoff team. They were hoping to get back on track, but they were already 0-2 against Indiana this season. It was going to be a tough one for the visitors, but the Pacers still needed to be focused against the league's third-ranked defense.

Early on, the Cavaliers were the better team — but not by much. It was 7-5 after three minutes of play, with both teams doing their best to attempt to enter the paint. They were both trying to manufacture points around the cup, which is how Indiana won on Saturday night.

The Pacers went on a 9-0 run after their sluggish start, and they were ahead 11-7 with 6:21 to go in the first period. That's when the first stoppage of the game took place via a timeout. Both teams looked a bit wobbly to that point.

Indiana got rolling a bit at that point and quickly found themselves up 21-10. They were able to knock down a few outside shots and had five assists quickly in the game. The Pacers looked good at the time.

They were still up nearly 10 points late in the quarter at 25-16, and they continued to look like the superior team for the final possessions of the frame. After 12 minutes, the Pacers led 34-25. Pascal Siakam's seven points led the way.

The second period started with back-and-forth play, but Cleveland was more consistent during that stretch. They were able to chop the lead down to five in about two minutes of play.

But the Pacers answered. They went on a 10-2 run and found themselves up by 13 not long after that Cavaliers surge — they were ahead 47-34. Cleveland was struggling to score largely thanks to their seven turnovers, and they were getting crushed on the offensive glass.

The Cavs went on a run in the ensuing minutes to keep the game close. The Pacers just couldn't quite put the score out of reach. They needed to stay focused — Cleveland is a tough out. With 4:32 left in the first half, it was 47-43.

Indiana was cold and didn't hit a shot for nearly six minutes of play. The Cavaliers came all the way back during that stretch and tied the game at 50 with 1:41 to go in the first half. The Pacers needed a jolt for the final 100 seconds before the break.

They did get the lid off the basket during that span, but they couldn't get a lead out of it. It was 54-54 at halftime after a dismal stretch of offense from the blue and gold. They couldn't figure out the Cavaliers zone defense. T.J. McConnell led Indiana with 10 points at halftime. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton exited the game and went to the locker room just before the second period ended.

Haliburton returned to the floor to warm up after halftime. The second half started with solid play from the visitors, though. They were up by six less than two minutes into the third quarter, which prompted a timeout from Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle. His team was not playing well.

With just over seven minutes to go in the third frame, the Cavs lead was up to 10. It took them about 12 minutes of play to go from down by double digits to ahead by double digits. They were dominating the Pacers at every turn.

Indiana needed to string together some stops if they were going to make a comeback. They weren't making enough threes to rely on their offense for a long surge. It was going to take defensive success to get back into the game.

They were able to cut the Cavaliers edge down to five a few times as the quarter progressed, but they weren't able to mount a full comeback. Cleveland was proving to be tough even without multiple key players. With three minutes to go in the third frame, the visitors led 83-77.

Indiana chopped the lead down as low as two inside the final minute of the third period, but Cleveland answered with five points and it was 90-83 heading into the final quarter. The Pacers were struggling after a good start. Siakam was leading the way with 17 points.

The fourth quarter opened with the two teams alternating buckets for a few minutes, but the Cavaliers were slightly better. They were ahead by nine after four-ish minutes of fourth quarter action. The Pacers were running out of time.

With just under seven minutes to go, it was 99-93 in favor of the visitors. They had been the better squad since the middle of the second frame. Indiana needed to get the crowd back into the game.

They did exactly that by making two-straight threes and cutting the lead down to three. It was a big sequence for the blue and gold even though they were still trailing. They had some life.

The Pacers kept battling and cut the lead down to two with just over three minutes to go. They still had a chance to win, and they were getting stops. But they still had work to do, and they weren't able to get over the jump in some recent close games.

Haliburton tied the game at 103 with two minutes to go thanks to an impressive, fading jumper from about 12-feet away. The Pacers needed that. They were back in the game late.

But the Cavs were ready for crunch time. They scored four points in a row and were ahead with under 30 seconds to go. Haliburton missed a three on the Pacers next possession, and things were all but wrapped up.

Cleveland played the free throw game well and held on for a 108-103 win. The Pacers fell to 38-31 with the defeat, a crucial loss just before a road trip.

Siakam finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Haliburton had 14 points and 12 assists. McConnell also reached 14 points.

The Pacers start a five game road trip and next play on Wednesday in Detroit against the Pistons.

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