Suddenly the Cavaliers are off and running as they look for their fifth straight win under new coach Tyronn Lue. Cleveland has picked up the pace offensively, scoring at least 114 points in the last four games, and the Cavs seek to end a 10-game losing streak to the Pacers in Indianapolis.
NBA Odds at BookMaker.eu
Indiana Pacers +4
Cleveland Cavaliers -4
Over/Under 209.5
SCHEDULING
Tyronn Lue wanted to get the Cavaliers playing with a faster pace and is so far succeeding. Cleveland will bring its newfound high-flying act to Indianapolis in the opener of a two-game trip. Four of Cleveland’s five games since Lue took over have been at The Q with the only road contest in that span at Detroit. This is the first extended trip for the Cavs under their new coach, though it’s brief with a stop in Charlotte on Wednesday. The Cavs were run off the court in Lue’s debut on Jan. 23, but they’ve won four straight since while scoring an average of 115 points and earned their most impressive win of the season with a 117-103 triumph over San Antonio on Saturday. “I thought Saturday was a picture-perfect way of how we want to play,” Lue said after the win.
The Pacers have earned back-to-back wins after a stretch of six losses in seven games and feel like they’ve found the right formula. The Pacers, having already more or less abandoned the small-ball lineup they utilized at the start of the year, made a major move by inserting rookie Myles Turner into the starting five. The result was wins over Atlanta and Denver. Indiana has at times looked like contenders in the Eastern Conference, but its recent stretch of failures has left serious doubts. Sweeping their three-game home stay will make the Pacers feel better about themselves.
INJURIES
Richard Jefferson is dealing with a toe injury and the Cavaliers are considering shutting him down until after the All-Star break. His role on the team isn’t huge – he averages 19.4 minutes per game – but he is a veteran leader.
Pacers center Ian Mahinmi missed Saturday’s game against Denver with a sore lower back and is questionable to play against the Cavs. His absence allowed Turner and Jordan Hill to play significant minutes with major contributions in the win. Also, backup point guard Rodney Stuckey is nearing a return from the foot injury that’s had him on the shelf since Jan. 12.
KEY MATCHUP
The biggest beneficiary of Lue’s system has been Kevin Love, who is averaging 23.7 points with a pair of double-doubles in the last three games. His All-Star snub may be a motivating factor as well. On Saturday, Love made the Spurs’ top ranked defense look downright normal in a productive 31 minutes. He scored 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting, added 11 rebounds, three assists and one block. He was almost unstoppable in the first half, scoring 18 making 7 of 10 shots. He made jumpers and leaners from all over. Sure, five games represent a small sample, but Love appears to have been revitalized under Lue. He’s averaging 7.2 field goals and 14.4 attempts, each up by almost 2.0 from the season’s averages prior. More importantly, Love is converting those extra opportunities. He’s made 11 of 21 three-pointers and all 10 free throw attempts in the past three games. More touches mean more looks, and in turn more points.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
While the new coaching regime in Cleveland got off to a rough start, they have more than made up for it over the past four games. The up-tempo style Lue promised has worked because the Cavs have the talent and depth. The Big Three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Love have been dominant and they finally beat one of the league’s best teams by knocking off the Spurs Saturday. Cleveland had been 0-5 against Golden State, San Antonio and Chicago before that game and all were played prior to the coaching change. It’s a small sample size and the opponents, outside of San Antonio who played without Tim Duncan, weren’t the strongest, but the Cavs showed what they can be, and it looked really good.
Cleveland 109, Indiana 100
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