Two Central Division foes clash for the final time in the regular season on Friday as the Cleveland Cavaliers welcome the Indiana Pacers.
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Two Central Division foes clash for the final time in the regular season on Friday as the Cleveland Cavaliers welcome the Indiana Pacers. This game holds significant implications for postseason seeding.
In the second-to-last game for both teams, the fourth-placed Cleveland (47-33) holds a slim one-game lead over the sixth-placed Indiana (46-34) in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are currently tied with the fifth-placed Orlando Magic, who hold a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Indiana.
The team that comes out on top in Friday’s showdown in Cleveland will see their magic number drop to zero, securing them a spot in the playoffs without having to go through the play-in tournament for teams finishing between seventh and tenth.
The Pacers, eyeing their first playoff berth since 2020, are in top form. They’ve won five of their last six games and are banking on their high-scoring offense to carry them to their first playoff series victory since the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2014.
For the Cavaliers, Jerome and Wade will not be playing the game. Besides, Merrill is questionable for the game. As for the Pacers, Mathurin will be sitting this one out.
Putting up an impressive league-leading average of 122.9 points per game, the Pacers showed off their offensive skills in Tuesday’s game against the Raptors in Toronto. They clinched a 140-123 victory with Tyrese Haliburton scoring 30 points and Obi Toppin adding 23 off the bench. Together, they shot a stellar 20-for-30 from the field in a game where the Pacers were only leading by a single point at halftime.
Sheppard’s putting up an average of 4.4 points per game this season and has managed to keep turnovers low, with just 13 in 774 minutes on the court. As for the team the Pacers are trying to catch up with, Cleveland snagged a crucial 110-98 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, breaking a three-game losing streak.
Donovan Mitchell, who leads the Cavaliers in scoring this season with 26.5 points per game, put up 13 of his 29 points in the first quarter, giving Cleveland the edge over a stubborn Memphis team. Mitchell ended the game shooting 9-for-17 from the field, sinking five 3-pointers along the way.
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