Cleveland Cavaliers (49-29) beat Indiana Pacers (18-60) 117-108 at home on Sunday, April 5. The Pacers led after three quarters, but the Cavaliers took control in the fourth.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pacers struck first, taking the opening quarter 32-31 and a 1-point lead after one. The Pacers kept the pressure on with a 26-24 second quarter, carrying a 3-point lead into halftime.
The Cavaliers won the third 35-33 to stay in front, taking a 1-point lead into the fourth. The Cavaliers took the fourth 27-17; the Cavaliers completed the comeback for a 117-108 regulation win.
What decided it
The Cavaliers got more from their shots, finishing at 55.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 48.3% for the Pacers. The Cavaliers took better care of the ball, turning it over on 9% of possessions compared with 10.3% for the Pacers. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Pacers did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 29.1 against 16.3. The Cavaliers made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 99 possessions per team, the Cavaliers produced 118.7 points per 100 possessions to 109.6 for the Pacers.
The Pacers' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 37-20.
Who made the difference
Donovan Mitchell was the game's biggest individual force for CLE: 38 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast on 16-27 shooting. His Game Score of 28.3 led everyone. His team was +8 with him on the floor.
Micah Potter led the Pacers with 21 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast on 6-10 shooting, good for a 21.8 Game Score.
Thomas Bryant (14 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) and Micah Potter (21 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Cavaliers about a 90% chance.
Across the last 12 meetings in our records, Indiana Pacers lead 7-5.
The Cavaliers are now 49-29, and the Pacers are 18-60. The Cavaliers last five before this game: L-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.