The Cavaliers will look to bounce back and end a two-game skein tonight when they host the Indiana Pacers in a Central Division battle at Quicken Loans Arena. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Cleveland sits atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 41-17 record while Indiana (31-28) finds themselves currently as the sixth seed and 10.5 games behind the Wine and Gold in the Division.
Tune into FOX Sports Ohio, NBATV.
WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega
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Both teams come into Monday’s tilt playing their second game in as many days and coming off a loss.
With LeBron James resting, the Cavaliers took one on the chin on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Wizards, 113-99, in the nation’s capital. Kyrie Irving, led Cleveland with 28 points – going 9-of-20 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from long-distance, to go with a team-high six assists.
Irving was solid in the Cavs last meeting against the Pacers on February 1st in Indiana, tallying a game-high 25 points (8 in OT) on 10-20 (.500) shooting, three rebounds and a team-high seven assists in 41 minutes.
Also in that game, LeBron James registered his 16th double-double of the season with 24 points, a game-high tying 12 rebounds, six assists while Kevin Love posted 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
The Wine and Gold will hope to get the same production from their leaders against a Pacers squad which allows 106.1 points per game on the second end of back-to-backs compared to 99.2 with at least a day between games. Indiana is just 3-8 this season when closing out back-to-backs.
The Pacers All-Star forward, Paul George, has had great comeback season following his gruesome leg injury while playing for Team USA two summers ago. George leads the Pacers in scoring at 23.4 points per game.
TV: FOX Sports Ohio, NBATV, Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega
Programming Note: Tonight, FOX Sports Ohio is airing the Cavs – Pacers game (7:00 p.m.) and the Blue Jackets – Rangers game (7:00 p.m.). Please refer to these programming details. To view TV listings, CLICK HERE.
For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.
Status Update: (Cavs) – Mo Williams, (Left Knee Chondromalacia, TBD)
Status Update: (Pacers) – C.J. Miles, (Strained Left Calf, Questionable)
*Subject to change.
Tonight’s contest will be the third of four meetings between the two teams this regular season with the final game coming on April 6th at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Wine and Gold are 2-0 against the Pacers so far this season after knocking them off in overtime, 111-106, in their most recent on February 1st in Indiana.
In that game, after Indiana took a 104-103 advantage with 2:05 left in overtime, the Cavaliers scored eight of the game’s final 10 points. LeBron James’ offensive rebound with 21.6 seconds remaining in overtime led to a pair of Kyrie Irving free throws, giving the Cavs a 109-106 lead. It was Cleveland’s first win in Indiana since January 29, 2010.
Black Heritage Celebration: The Cavaliers 12th annual Black Heritage Celebration (BHC) presented by Hennessy tipped off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The special night will began a month-long celebration themed “Empowering and Inspiring One Generation to the Next.” The BHC, which is a salute to Black History Month in February, recognizes the remarkable past accomplishments of African American civic icons who have paved the path for future generations. LEARN MORE
After tonight’s game, it’s a rare three-day rest before a weekend back-to-back – closing out the season series with Washington on Friday night before the Celtics roll in for their final appearance at The Q this year. The following Monday, the Wine and Gold take on the Grizzlies in Cleveland before embarking on their last West Coast junket of the season – facing off against the Kings, Lakers, Clippers and Jazz.GET TICKETS | VIEW FULL SCHEDULE
