Cavaliers at Pacers
The Cleveland Cavaliers asked LeBron James to come out aggressive in Game 2 and lead them to victory over the Indiana Pacers, and he delivered. James will try to get more help and give the Cavaliers the upper hand when the first-round Eastern Conference series shifts to Indiana for Game 3 on Friday tied at one win apiece.
James scored the team's first 16 points to set the tone and finished with 46 as Cleveland barely hung up for a 100-97 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday. "Coach (Tyronn) Lue called the first play for me and it went down, so we went back to it and I was able to get another one," James told reporters. "I just felt like I was in a really good rhythm, so just tried to see how long I could stay in that zone and just try to make a mark on the game early on, especially after the way we started in Game 1." The Pacers dominated the first quarter en route to a Game 1 victory and remain confident heading home despite the tight loss in Game 2. "We really wanted to go home 2-0 but we got one on the road," Indiana center Myles Turner told reporters. "We did our jobs. I can't wait to be back in front of the Indy fans. I hope these guys are ready, I know they are."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN, FS Ohio (Cleveland), FS Indiana
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: Cleveland was embarrassed 98-80 in Game 1 and decided to make a lineup change for Game 2, inserting veterans Kyle Korver and JR Smith into the starting lineup in place of Jeff Green and Rodney Hood. Korver went 4-of-8 from 3-point range to help space the floor and drew praise from his coach. "(Korver) does all the little things it takes to win," Lue told reporters. "If you want to win a championship, you have to do all the little things. Outside of his great shooting, he was just doing all the little things and making the extra efforts, being in the right place defensively."
ABOUT THE PACERS: Indiana All-Star guard Victor Oladipo scored a game-high 32 points in Game 1 but was limited to 22 on 9-of-18 shooting while battling foul trouble in Game 2. "Obviously, we're upset about the loss," Oladipo told reporters. "Just like the first game, it was only one game and this was only one game. We felt as though we had a chance to tie it, a chance to win and we feel confident going home." The Pacers shot 52.6 percent from the floor in Game 2 but struggled to 6-of-22 from 3-point range and committed 17 turnovers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers PF Kevin Love injured his left thumb late in Game 2 but is expected to play on Friday.
2. Pacers SF Bojan Bogdanovic is 3-of-16 from 3-point range in his last four games, going back to the regular season.
3. Indiana outscored Cleveland 62-30 in the paint in Game 2.