Cavaliers at Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers can clinch at least a tie for the No. 1 seed in
the Eastern Conference when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
Cleveland has won four straight games and holds a 3 1/2-game lead over
the second-place Toronto Raptors with four games remaining.
The Cavaliers rolled to a 109-80 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday for their second win by 20 or more points in the past four games. "We're playing good ball at the right time," forward LeBron James told reporters. "That's all. We know what's good for us, what works for us. We're doing it and it's good for our team." Indiana, which has won its past two games, resides in seventh place in the East and is 2 1/2 games clear of the ninth-place Chicago Bulls. The Pacers are a half-game ahead of the eighth-place Detroit Pistons and would like to avoid facing the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), FSN Indiana
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (56-22): Shooting guard J.R. Smith is averaging 24 points over the past two games and is on a 3-point shooting tear by making 13-of-20 - including 7-of-11 against the Milwaukee. Overall, Cleveland knocked down 18-of-36 3-point shots against the Bucks to extend its franchise record to 16 straight games of making 10 or more. "We're moving the basketball," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. "We're making some shots. If we make shots like we're capable of making shots, we're tough to beat."
ABOUT THE PACERS (41-36): Indiana's modest winning streak began after coach Frank Vogel changed the lineup following a demoralizing 20-point loss to the Orlando Magic. Vogel pulled rookie power forward Myles Turner from the starting lineup in favor of the stabilizing effect provided by Lavoy Allen, who is more apt to avoid miscues. "Of course I want to be out there starting for the Indiana Pacers, but I'm still playing with the Indiana Pacers, so I can't complain about anything," Turner told reporters Tuesday. "I'm able to come in with the second unit and play pretty much the same minutes."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Cavaliers are 3-0 against the Pacers this season with an average winning margin of 4.3 points.
2. Indiana All-Star SF Paul George will play despite a sore ankle and has scored 20 or more points in each of his past six games.
3. Cleveland PG Kyrie Irving (ankle) returned from a one-game absence and had 15 points in 27 minutes against the Bucks.