Cavaliers at Pacers
One of the best home teams in the NBA and one of the league's worst road squads square off when the Indiana Pacers host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The Pacers, who are tied with Oklahoma City for the league's best home mark at 14-1, have won four straight by an average of 22.8 points. The Cavaliers are tied with Philadelphia for the worst road record in the NBA at 2-13.
As if the matchup weren't lopsided enough, the Cavaliers are coming out of a tumultuous week in which they suspended center Andrew Bynum for conduct detrimental to the team and saw their losing streak run to five games, matching a season high. Cleveland's last three losses have been by a combined nine points. "We've just got to close out games better," Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving told reporters. "It sounds simple, but we've just got to do a better job of it." The Pacers have won seven straight meetings at home and seven in a row and 13 of 14 overall, including an 89-74 victory Nov. 2 in Indiana.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (10-20): In the midst of Cleveland's recent struggles, the offensive production has been there as the Cavaliers have hit triple digits in eight of the last 10 games. Irving has led the charge, putting up 20 or more points in nine of his last 11 games. Of course, the Cavaliers also have allowed triple digits in nine of 10 and continue to be one of the worst teams in the league in terms of defensive efficiency.
ABOUT THE PACERS (24-5): Indiana leads the league in defensive efficiency and has been especially stingy at home, allowing 84.4 points per game on 39 percent shooting on its own floor. The Pacers also get balanced scoring, with all five starters averaging in double digits. Paul George (23.9 points, 5.8 rebounds) is the major catalyst, but guard Lance Stephenson (13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists) is having a breakout year and leads the NBA with three triple-doubles.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana is 15-1 when outscoring its opponent in the paint.
2. The Cavaliers average an Eastern Conference-best 39.9 points from the bench and their reserves have outscored the opposing bench in 24 of 30 games.
3. Pacers C Roy Hibbert leads the NBA with 78 blocked shots and has recorded five or more blocks seven times.