Game ID: 22300983
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Indiana Pacers
Monday, March 18, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
IND 34 20 29 20 103CLE 25 29 36 18 108
CLE @ IND ScoutingCLE @ 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.
IND availability going into 3/10 · 2 days' restBACK Nesmith back 3/01 after 4, 25 min since (88% of 29)
BACK Sheppard back 3/05 after 2, 20 min since (130% of 16)
BACK Jackson back 3/01 after 2, 12 min since (97% of 13)
IND availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restBACK Nesmith back 3/01 after 4, 28 min since (96% of 29)
BACK Sheppard back 3/05 after 2, 17 min since (111% of 16)
BACK Jackson back 3/01 after 2, 12 min since (93% of 13)
IND availability going into 3/13 · back-to-backBACK Sheppard back 3/05 after 2, 17 min since (111% of 16)
BACK Jackson back 3/07 after 2, 9 min since (69% of 13)
IND availability going into 3/16 · 2 days' restOUT Jackson missed 2 since 3/12, returns tonight: 3 min (26% of 13)
BACK Sheppard back 3/05 after 2, 18 min since (116% of 16)
IND availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restBACK Jackson back 3/07 after 2, 7 min since (55% of 13)
IND availability going into 3/20 · 1 day's restBACK Jackson back 3/16 after 2, 3 min since (26% of 13)
IND availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restBACK Jackson back 3/16 after 2, 16 min since (125% of 13)
NEW Sheppard 16 to 21 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restBACK Jackson back 3/16 after 2, 16 min since (125% of 13)
IND availability going into 3/25 · back-to-backBACK Jackson back 3/16 after 2, 15 min since (119% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 5 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 3 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 2 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 22 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 33 min since (118% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 24 min since (144% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 9 min since (69% of 13)
NEW Allen 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 34 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/11 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 6 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 4 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 3 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 23 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 32 min since (114% of 28)
NEW Okoro 26 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Merrill 17 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/13 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 7 since 3/01, returns tonight: 28 min (78% of 36)
OUT Strus missed 5 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 4 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 2 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 24 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 32 min since (114% of 28)
NEW Allen 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 22 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/16 · 2 days' restOUT Strus missed 6 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 5 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 3 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 25 since 1/24, returns tonight: 16 min (144% of 11)
BACK Mitchell back 3/13 after 7, 28 min since (78% of 36)
NEW Okoro 26 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT Strus missed 7 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 6 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 4 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/13 after 7, 27 min since (75% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 16 min since (144% of 11)
NEW Okoro 26 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/20 · 1 day's restOUT Strus missed 8 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 7 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 5 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/13 after 7, 27 min since (75% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 15 min since (137% of 11)
NEW Okoro 26 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 9 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 8 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 6 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 13 min since (120% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 10 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 9 since 3/06, returns tonight: 21 min (67% of 32)
OUT Wade missed 7 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 14 min since (125% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Morris Sr. 15 to 21 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 3/25 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 11 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 8 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Eva. Mobley back 3/24 after 9, 21 min since (67% of 32)
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 13 min since (119% of 11)
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Morris Sr. 15 to 21 min over the last 4
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 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 31 from three, 24 free throws a game; Siakam at 21 and Haliburton at 18 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Garland at 23 and Allen at 18 a game. Without Strus (7 straight), Eva. Mobley (6 straight), Wade (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 37 percent from three to Indiana's 31. Call it Indiana 117, Cleveland 112.
3/10 @ ORL 111-97 — IND notes
IND won 111-97. IND shot 49% (38 of 78) to ORL's 38%, 8 of 23 from three. Haliburton led with 20 (6 of 15, 1 of 6 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Siakam added 20, McConnell 17. The hinge was Q3, 39-21: IND came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 15. IND trailed 47-50 at the half and won the second half 64-47. Nesmith was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
3/12 @ OKC 121-111 — IND notes
IND won 121-111. IND shot 54% (48 of 89) to OKC's 43%, 9 of 28 from three. Turner led with 24 (11 of 17, 2 of 3 from three); Haliburton added 18, Siakam 18. The hinge was Q2, 36-29: a lead of 5 became 12, and the lead reached 16. Nesmith was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
3/13 vs CHI 129-132 — IND notes
IND lost 129-132 in 1 overtime. IND shot 46% (46 of 99) to CHI's 52%, 14 of 45 from three. Turner led with 27 (9 of 15, 5 of 8 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Haliburton added 17, Siakam 17. Q4 was theirs, 32-24, the deficit cut from 8 to 0, but the other 4 periods went 108-97 against them. They led by as many as 11. Haliburton's -22 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/16 vs BKN 121-100 — IND notes
IND won 121-100. IND shot 48% (50 of 105) to BKN's 43%, 6 of 30 from three, and got to the line 16 times to BKN's 31. IND turned it over 10 times to BKN's 20. Siakam led with 28 (11 of 22, 6 of 6 at the line); Nesmith added 16, Haliburton 14. The hinge was Q4, 35-22: a lead of 8 became 21, and the lead reached 27. Siakam was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
3/18 vs CLE 103-108 — IND notes
IND lost 103-108. IND took 11 more shots (91 to 80), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 46% to CLE's 48%, 9 of 38 from three, and got to the line 16 times to CLE's 28. Siakam led with 19 (9 of 18); Haliburton added 14, McConnell 14. Q1 was theirs, 34-25, but the other 3 periods went 83-69 against them. They led by as many as 15. Siakam's -12 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/20 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 106, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 20 free throws a game; Cunningham at 17 and Fontecchio at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 28 from three, 22 free throws a game; Siakam at 20 and Turner at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 15 times a game to Indiana's 10. Call it Indiana 115, Detroit 113, Detroit keeping it close.
3/22 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 113, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 14 free throws a game; Curry at 24 and Kuminga at 23 a game. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 50 percent and 29 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 21 and Haliburton at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the arc, Golden State at 41 percent from three to Indiana's 29 and the line, where Indiana takes 19 free throws a game to Golden State's 14. Call it Golden State 118, Indiana 117, Indiana keeping it close.
3/24 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 24 free throws a game; James at 26 and Davis at 20 a game. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Vanderbilt (20 straight), Vincent (42 straight), Wood (14 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 31 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Haliburton at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 40 percent from three to Indiana's 31 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-5 a night and Indiana minus-2. Call it the Lakers 118, Indiana 116, Indiana keeping it close.
3/25 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 26 and Leonard at 23 a game. Without Westbrook (12 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 16 free throws a game; Siakam at 27 and Haliburton at 17 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 22 free throws a game to Indiana's 16. Call it Indiana 117, the Clippers 116, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/10 vs BKN 101-120 — CLE notes
CLE lost 101-120. CLE shot 49% (37 of 76) to BKN's 53%, 14 of 32 from three. Niang led with 20 (8 of 12, 3 of 5 from three); Allen added 15, Garland 14. Q2 was theirs, 23-23, but the other 3 periods went 97-78 against them. Jones's -17 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/11 vs PHX 111-117 — CLE notes
CLE lost 111-117. CLE shot 48% (40 of 84) to PHX's 55%, 15 of 46 from three. Garland led with 30 (10 of 17, 7 of 10 from three); LeVert added 17, J. Allen 15. Q1 was theirs, 41-32, but the other 3 periods went 85-70 against them. They led by as many as 19. Garland's -16 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/13 @ NOP 116-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 116-95. CLE shot 51% (47 of 92) to NOP's 44%, 20 of 45 from three, and got to the line 3 times to NOP's 26. Garland led with 27 (10 of 16, 6 of 10 from three); Allen added 17, Niang 16. The hinge was Q3, 34-23: a lead of 8 became 19, and the lead reached 27. Merrill was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
3/16 @ HOU 103-117 — CLE notes
CLE lost 103-117. CLE shot 45% (37 of 82) to HOU's 48%, 12 of 38 from three, and went to the line 20 times to HOU's 12 — 17 points from the stripe to their 8. CLE turned it over 15 times to HOU's 9, and HOU turned those into 9 steals. LeVert led with 21 (8 of 14, 1 of 4 from three); Niang added 14, Mitchell 13. Q4 was theirs, 30-19, the deficit cut from 25 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 98-73 against them. Niang's -17 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/18 @ IND 108-103 — CLE notes
CLE won 108-103. CLE shot 48% (38 of 80) to IND's 46%, 12 of 32 from three, and went to the line 28 times to IND's 16 — 20 points from the stripe to their 10. LeVert led with 23 (7 of 15, 1 of 5 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); Allen added 23, Morris Sr. 14. The hinge was Q2, 29-20: CLE came in trailing by 9 and left it level. LeVert was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
3/20 vs MIA — 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 108 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Garland at 19 and Allen at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Strus (8 straight), Eva. Mobley (7 straight), Wade (5 straight). One day's rest. Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 101, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 17 free throws a game; Adebayo at 19 and Butler III at 17 a game. Without Butler III (2 straight), Herro (12 straight), Richardson (15 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 38 percent from three to Miami's 29 and the glass, where Miami has been plus-3 a night and Cleveland minus-4. Call it Cleveland 109, Miami 106, Miami keeping it close.
3/22 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 15 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Reid at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Gobert (3 straight), Towns (7 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Garland at 20 and Allen at 18 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight), Strus (9 straight), Eva. Mobley (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-2 a night and Minnesota minus-7 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 12 times a game to Minnesota's 9. Call it Minnesota 112, Cleveland 108, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/24 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 102, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 17 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Adebayo at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Herro (14 straight), Robinson (2 straight), Richardson (17 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Garland at 18 and Allen at 18 a game. Without Mitchell (3 straight), Strus (10 straight), Eva. Mobley (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 12 times a game to Miami's 9 and the arc, Cleveland at 35 percent from three to Miami's 31. Call it Miami 107, Cleveland 106, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/25 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Allen at 16 and LeVert at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Mitchell (4 straight), Strus (11 straight), Wade (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 28 from three, 16 free throws a game; Bridges at 20 and Micić at 17 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where Cleveland takes 22 free throws a game to Charlotte's 16. Call it Cleveland 110, Charlotte 106, Charlotte keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
CP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MM M. Morris Sr.
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
INDAN A. Nembhard
AN A. Nesmith
BS B. Sheppard
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
LeVert, Allen lead short-handed Cavs past Pacers 108-103
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen each scored 23 points and the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers fended off a late push from the Indiana Pacers for a 108-103 win on Monday night.
Cleveland played without three regular starters, including star guard Donovan Mitchell , as the Cavs fight to hold onto a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference.
Cleveland led by as many as nine in the final quarter before Indiana pulled even with 2:05 remaining. LeVert drove baseline and then pulled up and swished a 9-foot fadeaway jumper to regain the lead. The Pacers didn't score again.
“I'm very comfortable in those situations,” LeVert said. “I knew what I was going to.”
LeVert had 11 assists and eight rebounds. Allen had nine rebounds.
“We've got a lot of guys capable of contributing and making big plays down the stretch,” LeVert said. “Our defense really held up the last three quarters of the game and won us that game. That's a good offensive team. We held them to what, 103? That says a lot about our defense.”
Mitchell, who averages a team-high 27.4 points, remains slowed by a left knee bruise that has bothered him since the break. It’s likely the Cavs will rest him a few more games so he’s ready for the postseason. Forward Evan Mobley (ankle) and guard Max Strus (knee) were also out.
The absences necessitated signing veteran forward Marcus Morris Sr . to a 10-day contract. Morris scored 14 off the bench in 20 minutes.
“It took toughness,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It took resilience. It took togetherness to make sure that we never splintered, even with adversity and ups and downs.”
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and 12 rebounds. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 12 assists. Reserve guard T.J. McConnell scored 14.
“We're just not getting enough stops down the stretch,” Haliburton said. “And we're not capitalizing enough offensively and that starts with me.”
The Cavs entered the night as the conference's No. 3 seed, just behind the Milwaukee Bucks and ahead of the New York Knicks with a few weeks left in the regular season.
The Pacers dropped to the No. 7 seed with the loss, passed by the Philadelphia 76ers who beat the Miami Heat on Monday night.
“We did some good things to fight out of the hole,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “But consistency wasn't there. It's a tough loss.”
The Pacers led by as much as 15 midway through the second quarter but then went scoreless for about four minutes.
“I honestly think we just didn't really make any shots,” McConnell said. “We got a couple of good looks and they just didn't go in.”
The Cavaliers surged with an 11-0 run to tie the game in the final minute of the first half.
“We've got to stay positive,” Carlisle said. “We've got to be more hungry than everybody we're playing right now.”