Caris LeVert had 23 points and 11 assists against his former team as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 15-point, second-quarter deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 108-103 on Monday in Indianapolis.
Jarrett Allen added 23 points and nine rebounds for the short-handed Cavaliers (43-25), who never trailed after the 11:25 mark of the third quarter. Marcus Morris Sr. added 14 points in his Cleveland debut, while Georges Niang and Darius Garland scored 13 apiece.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana (38-31) with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 12 assists. T.J. McConnell also scored 14 points, Myles Turner added 12, Jalen Smith had 11 and Obi Toppin finished with 10.
Indiana trailed by nine early in the fourth quarter before tying the game at 103 on Haliburton’s floater with 2:05 left.
After LeVert hit an off-balance jumper on the Cavaliers’ next possession, Haliburton missed a trey. Isaac Okoro scored to give Cleveland a four-point lead with 26.1 seconds left, and the Cavaliers held on for their first win over Indiana this season after losing the first two meetings between the teams.
Cleveland played without star Donovan Mitchell (nasal fracture), Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain), Max Strus (right knee strain) and Dean Wade (right knee soreness).
Indiana led 34-25 at the end of the opening quarter after shooting 60.9 percent from the field.
The Pacers stretched their lead to 15 points before Cleveland went on a 15-1 run to pull within 48-47 with 2:34 left in the second quarter.
LeVert scored 17 points in the first half for the Cavaliers, who closed the second quarter on an extended 22-7 run and tied the game at 54 by intermission. Indiana shot 4 of 18 (22.2 percent) from beyond the arc before the break.
Cleveland opened the third quarter on an 18-8 run and held a 90-83 advantage at the end of the period.
Indiana cut its deficit to 101-99 after Haliburton converted a three-point play with 4:37 remaining in the contest.
–Field Level Media