Game ID: 22301174
Indiana Pacers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Friday, April 12, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 35 35 27 32 129IND 26 33 35 26 120
CLE vs IND ScoutingCLE vs IND Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 4/03 · back-to-backOUT Okoro missed 2 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 13 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 3/29, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/29 after 6, 32 min since (88% of 36)
BACK Strus back 3/27 after 12, 28 min since (86% of 33)
NEW Merrill 17 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 4/06 · 2 days' restOUT Okoro missed 3 since 3/31, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 14 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 4 since 3/29, returns tonight: 2 min (13% of 13)
BACK Mitchell back 3/29 after 6, 34 min since (94% of 36)
BACK Strus back 3/27 after 12, 30 min since (92% of 33)
CLE availability going into 4/07 · back-to-backOUT Okoro missed 4 since 3/31, returns tonight: 25 min (95% of 26)
OUT Wade missed 15 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/29 after 6, 35 min since (97% of 36)
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/06 after 4, 2 min since (13% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/10 · 2 days' restOUT Wade missed 16 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Okoro back 4/07 after 4, 25 min since (95% of 26)
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/06 after 4, 2 min since (13% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 17 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 4/07, out tonight
BACK Okoro back 4/07 after 4, 26 min since (98% of 26)
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/06 after 4, 2 min since (13% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 18 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 4/10, out tonight
OUT Morris Sr. missed 2 since 4/10, returns tonight: 19 min (125% of 15)
OUT Thompson missed 3 since 4/07, returns tonight: 12 min (110% of 11)
BACK Okoro back 4/07 after 4, 26 min since (97% of 26)
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/06 after 4, 2 min since (13% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/20 · 5 days' restOUT Wade missed 19 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 3 since 4/10, returns tonight: 4 min (25% of 17)
BACK Okoro back 4/07 after 4, 27 min since (100% of 26)
BACK Morris Sr. back 4/14 after 2, 19 min since (125% of 15)
BACK Porter Jr. back 4/06 after 4, 4 min since (34% of 13)
BACK Thompson back 4/14 after 3, 12 min since (110% of 11)
CLE availability going into 4/22 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 20 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Okoro back 4/07 after 4, 25 min since (94% of 26)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 3, 4 min since (25% of 17)
BACK Morris Sr. back 4/14 after 2, 19 min since (125% of 15)
BACK Thompson back 4/14 after 3, 12 min since (110% of 11)
CLE availability going into 4/25 · 2 days' restOUT Wade missed 21 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Morris Sr. missed 2 since 4/20, returns tonight: 10 min (63% of 15)
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 4/20, returns tonight: 10 min (94% of 11)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 3, 4 min since (25% of 17)
IND availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's rest
full strength
IND availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's rest
full strength
IND availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's rest
full strength
IND availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's rest
full strength
IND availability going into 4/12 · 2 days' restNEW Sheppard 16 to 22 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restNEW Sheppard 16 to 21 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 4/21 · 6 days' restOUT Jackson missed 2 since 4/12, returns tonight: 2 min (17% of 13)
NEW Sheppard 16 to 22 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 4/23 · 1 day's restBACK Jackson back 4/21 after 2, 2 min since (17% of 13)
IND availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restBACK Jackson back 4/21 after 2, 2 min since (17% of 13)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 21 and LeVert at 19 a game. Without Wade (17 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Haliburton at 20 and Siakam at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. 2 days' rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 14 times a game to Indiana's 10. Call it Indiana 117, Cleveland 116, Cleveland keeping it close.
4/03 @ PHX 101-122 — CLE notes
CLE lost 101-122. CLE shot 47% (39 of 83) to PHX's 51%, 7 of 26 from three. Mitchell led with 24 (8 of 17, 2 of 7 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Allen added 20, Mobley 20. Q3 was theirs, 30-26, the deficit cut from 25 to 21, but the other 3 periods went 96-71 against them. Niang's -21 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/06 @ LAL 97-116 — CLE notes
CLE lost 97-116. CLE took 10 more shots (90 to 80), fed by 11 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to LAL's 56%, 11 of 35 from three. Garland led with 26 (11 of 25, 4 of 9 from three); LeVert added 21, Allen 12. Q1 was theirs, 33-36, but the other 3 periods went 80-64 against them. Merrill's -20 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/07 @ LAC 118-120 — CLE notes
CLE lost 118-120. CLE shot 48% (42 of 88) to LAC's 49%, 11 of 30 from three. The glass went 36-48 against them. Garland led with 28 (10 of 22, 4 of 8 from three); Strus added 20, Mobley 20. Q2 was theirs, 40-26, but the other 3 periods went 94-78 against them. They led by as many as 26.
4/10 vs MEM 110-98 — CLE notes
CLE won 110-98. CLE shot 45% (37 of 82) to MEM's 39%, 15 of 37 from three, and went to the line 29 times to MEM's 19 — 21 points from the stripe to their 18. Mitchell led with 29 (9 of 17, 5 of 10 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); LeVert added 18, J. Allen 16. The hinge was Q3, 30-16: CLE came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 11, and the lead reached 20. CLE trailed 48-51 at the half and won the second half 62-47. Garland was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
4/12 vs IND 129-120 — CLE notes
CLE won 129-120. CLE shot 53% (50 of 95) to IND's 52%, 13 of 32 from three. Mitchell led with 33 (12 of 27, 4 of 10 from three); Allen added 29, Garland 16. The hinge was Q1, 35-26: from level to 9 ahead. Strus was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
4/14 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Garland at 20 a game. Without Wade (18 straight), Merrill (2 straight), Morris Sr. (2 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 122, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Miller at 20 and Bridges at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-3 a night and Charlotte minus-8 and the arc, Charlotte at 41 percent from three to Cleveland's 36. Call it Cleveland 117, Charlotte 110.
4/20 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 24 and Garland at 22 a game. Without Wade (19 straight), Merrill (3 straight). 5 days' rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Banchero at 23 and F. Wagner at 22 a game. 5 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 40 percent from three to Orlando's 32 and the glass, where Orlando has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-2. Call it Cleveland 112, Orlando 110, Orlando keeping it close.
4/22 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Garland at 18 a game. Without Wade (20 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 24 free throws a game; Banchero at 23 and F. Wagner at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 39 percent from three to Orlando's 29. Call it Cleveland 112, Orlando 106.
4/25 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 99 a night and allowing 105, shooting 42 percent and 29 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 23 and F. Wagner at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Black (2 straight), Bitadze (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 101, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Allen at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Wade (21 straight), Morris Sr. (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 37 percent from three to Orlando's 29 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-4 a night and Orlando minus-4. Call it Cleveland 107, Orlando 106, Orlando keeping it close.
4/03 @ BKN 111-115 — IND notes
IND lost 111-115. IND took 16 more shots (103 to 87), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to BKN's 48%, 10 of 38 from three, and got to the line just 11 times against 21 fouls committed. Siakam led with 26 (12 of 27, 0 of 3 from three); Haliburton added 24, Toppin 14. Q1 was theirs, 31-19, but the other 3 periods went 96-80 against them. They led by as many as 14. Siakam's -20 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/05 vs OKC 126-112 — IND notes
IND won 126-112. IND shot 52% (46 of 88) to OKC's 49%, 15 of 35 from three. Siakam led with 21 (8 of 10); Nesmith added 17, McConnell 16. The hinge was Q2, 38-27: IND came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 10, and the lead reached 18. McConnell was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
4/07 vs MIA 117-115 — IND notes
IND won 117-115. IND shot 51% (44 of 86) to MIA's 46%, 9 of 32 from three, and got to the line 21 times to MIA's 32. Turner led with 22 (6 of 12, 2 of 6 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); McConnell added 22, Siakam 18. The hinge was Q1, 38-24: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 22.
4/09 @ TOR 140-123 — IND notes
IND won 140-123. IND shot 55% (54 of 99) to TOR's 50%, 16 of 45 from three, and got to the line 23 times to TOR's 33. Haliburton led with 30 (10 of 16, 3 of 8 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Toppin added 23, McConnell 17. The hinge was Q3, 41-27: a lead of 1 became 15, and the lead reached 18. Haliburton was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
4/12 @ CLE 120-129 — IND notes
IND lost 120-129. IND shot 52% (46 of 89) to CLE's 53%, 9 of 32 from three. Haliburton led with 19 (7 of 13, 4 of 10 from three); Siakam added 19, Turner 17. Q3 was theirs, 35-27, the deficit cut from 11 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 102-85 against them. Siakam's -12 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/14 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 119, shooting 51 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Haliburton at 19 a game. One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 118, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Murray at 18 and Hunter at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Atlanta giving it away 16 times a game to Indiana's 11. Call it Indiana 122, Atlanta 115.
4/21 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Lillard at 20 and Portis at 18 a game. 6 days' rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 132 a night and allowing 119, shooting 55 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Turner at 20 a game. 6 days' rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Milwaukee allowing 110 a night to Indiana's 119 and the turnovers, Milwaukee giving it away 15 times a game to Indiana's 12. Call it Indiana 119, Milwaukee 117, Milwaukee keeping it close.
4/23 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 104, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 14 free throws a game; Lillard at 23 and Middleton at 18 a game. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 118, shooting 53 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Turner at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the defense, Milwaukee allowing 104 a night to Indiana's 118 and the arc, Milwaukee at 38 percent from three to Indiana's 33. Call it Milwaukee 117, Indiana 116, Indiana keeping it close.
4/26 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 117, shooting 54 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Siakam at 27 and Turner at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Lillard at 28 and Middleton at 18 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been plus-5 a night and Milwaukee minus-1. Call it Indiana 121, Milwaukee 114.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
DG D. Garland
DM D. Mitchell
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
INDAN A. Nembhard
AN A. Nesmith
BS B. Sheppard
DM D. McDermott
JS J. Smith
MT M. Turner
OT O. Toppin
PS P. Siakam
TH T. Haliburton
TM T. McConnell
CLE/IND the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Donovan Mitchell scores 33 points, Cavaliers clinch playoff spot with 129-120 win over Pacers
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points, Jarrett Allen had 29 points and 13 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched a playoff berth with a 129-120 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
Indiana pulled within 120-118 with 2:04 remaining on Pascal Siakam’s drive, but Darius Garland answered with a 3-pointer over Siakam. The Cavaliers scored the final six points, capped by an Isaac Okoro three-point play that ended with him somersaulting before posing for the crowd.
Garland and Caris LeVert each finished with 16 points, and Max Strus had seven points and nine assists. Allen made 13 of 14 shots for Cleveland, which earned its first back-to-back playoff appearances since making four straight NBA Finals from 2015-2018.
“Tonight was the closest we were going to get to a playoff feel before the playoffs, and we felt that pressure as an organization,” Allen said. “We should celebrate this accomplishment because everybody has worked hard to make this happen. But the job is not done yet. We want to go far in the playoffs."
The Cavaliers also locked up a top-four seed in the East — and home-court advantage in the opening round — despite Mitchell only playing 11 games and averaging just 19.5 points since the All-Star break because of ongoing left knee soreness and a broken nose.
“It’s been a long 2/3 months, but I’ve continued to believe,” said Mitchell, whose scoring total was his highest since Feb. 12. “This is what I do. Now, how do I elevate myself to be better in the playoffs? This is a good win for us and I think we're in a good spot.”
Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points and 12 assists, Siakam scored 19 points and Myles Turner had 17 points for the Pacers, who can advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 with a win over Atlanta or a Philadelphia loss on Sunday.
Thanks to the jumbled postseason picture, Indiana can finish as high as fifth and as low as eighth in the East. The seventh- and eighth-place clubs will be part of the play-in tournament.
“Sunday is what you play your whole season for, it’s one game at home with an opportunity,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’ll have to flush this as soon as we can and get ready. Tonight was disappointing and we’ve got some things to get cleaned up.”
Aaron Nesmith scored nine points in the third and Haliburton had eight, pulling Indiana to 97-94 going into the fourth. Pacers forward Obi Toppin sprained his left ankle in the period and did not return.
The Cavaliers built a 14-point lead in the second and were up 70-59 at halftime. Mitchell scored 18 points in 18 minutes and Allen had 16 points and nine rebounds.
“There were times this year when many people had us dead in the water,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Somehow, some way, this group stuck together and persevered. I think that’s a great sign for us.”