Cavaliers at Pacers
Cleveland looks to keep alive one impressive streak while ending another when it visits Indiana on Friday. The Cavaliers are one win shy of matching their franchise-record 13-game winning streak after a 105-94 victory at home over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, but have dropped eight straight regular-season games in Indianapolis. Kevin Love scored 24 points and LeBron James had 23 against the Clippers as Cleveland picked up its fourth victory in a row by double digits.
The Pacers are looking to end a season-high five-game homestand with a winning mark after splitting the first four, including a 114-109 victory over Detroit on Wednesday. George Hill had his best game since returning from a groin strain late last month by scoring a season-high-tying 20 points and handing out a season-high six assists as Indiana improved to 7-6 at home against the Eastern Conference. Indiana then made news on an off-day when star swingman Paul George confirmed to reporters that he is hoping to return this season from a serious leg injury suffered last summer.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (31-20): The 11-point margin of victory Thursday was extremely misleading, as Cleveland led by 31 points after three quarters, only to see its reserves get severely outplayed down the stretch. The large gap allowed head coach David Blatt to rest his starters for the entire fourth quarter on the front end of a back-to-back, which could help against a well-rested Pacers squad that has played one game this month and regularly leans heavily on its depth. James actually has thrived on these situations, averaging 30 points on 51.9 percent shooting when playing a second straight night this season.
ABOUT THE PACERS (18-32): If George was able to offer anything later in the season and if Hill can continue his resurgence, Indiana should be a factor at the tail end of the Eastern Conference playoff race and perhaps be a challenging first-round matchup. Hill has played in only 11 games due to groin and knee issues but has scored in double figures in 10 of them, and his 20-point effort on Wednesday came in his first start since New Year's Eve. Center Roy Hibbert also has increased his productivity with averages of 13.4 points and 10.2 rebounds over a five-game stretch.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers PG Kyrie Irving had 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 109-97 win in the first meeting between the teams Nov. 29 in Cleveland.
2. Cleveland C Timofey Mozgov had 15 rebounds and five blocked shots in 25 minutes against Indiana on Dec. 20 while still a member of the Denver Nuggets.
3. Pacers C Lavoy Allen (knee) has missed the last two games.