Pacers at Cavaliers
All-Star forward LeBron James was given a rare day off and the results
were disastrous, so now the Cleveland Cavaliers look to bounce back Monday when they host the Indiana Pacers. James didn't play in Sunday's
113-99 loss to the Washington Wizards — a contest in which Cleveland
trailed by as many as 30 points and prompted coach Tyronn Lue to bench
the team's other four starters.
The Cavaliers have lost three of their last four games and the effort was so poor against Washington that shooting guard J.R. Smith blasted his teammates afterward. "If we're going to play with a lack of energy ... and come out and play the way we did (Sunday), we shouldn't be who we are and be in these uniforms," Smith told reporters. "You talk about contending or being a championship contender and you're blown out ... and get thrashed, and make it look good at the end. We can't do that. If we're serious about who we're supposed to be, we can't do this." Indiana also is struggling with three losses in four games after falling 111-102 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Pacers are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference but are just a half-game ahead of three other teams — Charlotte, Chicago and Detroit.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Indiana, FSN Ohio
ABOUT THE PACERS (31-28): Indiana relies heavily on All-Star forward Paul George and the offense quickly goes out of sync when George is struggling with his shot. He was just 4-of-15 from the field against the Trail Blazers and scored only 11 points after posting 10 straight 20-point outings and averaging 27.7 points during the stretch. Rookie power forward Myles Turner also had an off-night with eight points against Portland to end his streak of nine straight double-digit performances.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (41-17): James dodged reporters after Sunday's beatdown and the move to sit him out was stunning with Cleveland having three consecutive days off following the game against the Pacers. The Cavaliers are 0-2 this season and 3-12 in the past two seasons when James sits out, and neither Smith nor forward Kevin Love are surprised at the lack of success without him in the lineup. "He gives us everything and he's one of those guys, one of very few that really makes everyone on his team better and makes everybody play at a high level," Love told reporters. "Yeah, we definitely missed him."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Cavaliers are 2-0 against the Pacers this season and have won the past three meetings.
2. Indiana SF C.J. Miles (calf) likely will miss his fifth straight contest.
3. Love is three 3-pointers away from 700 for his career but is just 5-of-20 from long range during the past three games.