Pacers at Cavaliers
The momentum boost provided by LeBron James with a last-second shot in a Game 5 win did not carry over for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now they are facing a do-or-die Game 7. The three-time defending Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers will try to avoid a first-round exit when they host the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 on Sunday.
Cleveland went into Indiana on Friday and got rocked 121-87 with a chance to close out the series but is excited about a Game 7 on its home court. "Game 7, I always said, is the two greatest words in sports," James told reporters. "But, I don't know, I played a Game 7 in the Finals and there's no move on after that. So, us having a Game 7 on our floor, our fans are going to be truly excited to be a part of that. And hope our guys are excited about that as well and understand that just don't take those moments for granted. I've been a part of Game 7s for quite a while now and it's just something that you wish you can get back when you're done playing the game." The Pacers enjoyed their most complete game of the series in Game 6 while shooting 56.3 percent from the floor and forcing 15 turnovers. "We were better connected on both ends of the floor," Indiana coach Nate McMillan told the media. "I thought the defense was connected. We were solid offensively. We moved the ball, attacked the basket and pretty much played that way for the 48 minutes."
TV: 1 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE PACERS: All-Star guard Victor Oladipo went 12-of-50 from the field in Games 3, 4 and 5 combined but brushed his shooting troubles away in Game 6 while recording a triple-double with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. "I just got out of my own way and made shots," Oladipo told reporters. "I was shooting the shots I've been shooting all year, just shot them with confidence. ... Just went out there and played. Did everything with confidence. Didn't overthink it. Just play, read, and react." Oladipo was one of seven Pacers players to score in double figures in the win and went 6-of-8 from beyond the arc to lead the team's 15-of-30 effort.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: James was the only starter to score in double figures with 22 points on Friday as fellow All-Star Kevin Love managed seven points on 3-of-10 shooting. Love is averaging 11 points on 32.4 percent shooting in the series after posting 17.6 points on 45.8 percent during the regular season. "He's a huge part of our success or our non-success," James told reporters of Love. "Obviously, we try to go to him, we want to go to him. Obviously, we can't make the shots for him. He has to step up and knock those down. Those things you can't control."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cavaliers PG George Hill (back) sat out the last three games and is questionable for Sunday.
2. Pacers C Domantas Sabonis is averaging 20 points on 26-of-35 shooting over the last three games.
3. Cleveland SG Kyle Korver is 11-of-22 from 3-point range over the last three games.