Indiana Pacers Vs. Cleveland Cavaliers: Preview, Predictions and Stats

Second consecutive match between the Cleveland Cavaliers (33-5) and the Indiana Pacers (22-18) in which the Ohioans will try to avenge the defeat suffered this Sunday at home and which marked the end of a twelve winning streak consecutive. since December 14.

Date and time of the Pacers vs. Riders

Date: January 14.

Hour: These are the start times for the Pacers vs. Riders according to time zone.

Seat: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Pacers Quintets Vs. Riders

The Cleveland Cavaliers arrive in Indiana with their gala quintet and all their troops available, with the exception of the serious doubt of Ty Jerome, who has already missed the last game. A game in which the Indiana Pacers lost Tyrese Haliburton to injury, listed as doubtful for this day. It is clear that Aaron Nesmith, out since November due to a serious ankle sprain, will not play.

Latest news for the Pacers: injuries and form

The Indiana Pacers are one of the fittest teams in the NBA in these first weeks of 2025. The team led by Rick Carlisle has chained six consecutive victories, the last of them this Sunday in the stronghold of the best record of the league, a Cleveland Cavaliers who saw their twelve-game winning streak interrupted.

After reaching halftime with a thirteen-point deficit, the Pacers rallied in the second half with a 68-40 run, also overcoming an injury to Tyrese Haliburton, who had to leave the game due to a muscle injury. As many as six players scored double figures, highlighted by Andrew Nembhard’s 19 points and Pascal Siakam’s 18 points and 9 rebounds.

In this triumphant sequence, those of Indiana came close to perfection: They dominated their rivals by fifteen points per hundred possessions, thanks to having been the best attack and the second best defense. They thus managed to settle in fifth position in the Eastern Conference, leaving behind a mediocre and worrying start to the season.

Player to watch: Pascal Siakam

Scoring spread is the offensive identity of the Pacers, where Siakam appears to be the safer option thanks to his 19.9 points per game. He’s not having his best moment in outside shooting, but he makes up for it with rebounding, intensity, defense and playmaking support. In Sunday’s win, he was the best with Andrew Nembhard.

Latest Cavaliers news: Injuries and form

The Cleveland Cavaliers are approaching mid-season with an established cruising speed and a record that will allow them to face the remaining months with great serenity. Of course, they shouldn’t get complacent or overconfident, as that complacency resulted in a close and tough win against Toronto or the recent home loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Rick Carlisle’s men joined the Atlanta Hawks as the only two teams capable of attacking the Cavaliers’ clubhouse this season, who deflated in the second half, allowing easy baskets to their rival and, in turn, having serious writing problems. Now Kenny Atkinson’s men are hoping to get revenge for their time at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

“We had two days off to prepare for this match. We didn’t do a good job [on Sunday]. Now we’ll have another chance against these guys. It will be a good test for us and see if we can recover,” the Cavs coach said. In his first year, Atkinson has exceeded all expectations, but he doesn’t want his team to rest on its laurels “Our standards must be higher. “We cannot relax like this,” he warned his students.

Player to watch: Donovan Mitchell

The second garde most voted in the Eastern Conference heads to the San Francisco All-Star with the word “starter” written on his forehead. Oddly enough, he is having his lowest season (22.8) since his year. beginnerbut it is precisely the distribution of offensive tasks that allows it to exploit its virtues and attack rival fissures with more virulence. If he has his time, he is capable of breaking any match or eliminating his rival in the clutch. The best record in the league backs him up.

Pacers vs. Cavaliers: history of confrontations

The two teams, teammates and Central Division rivals, have faced each other a total of 212 times during the regular season in NBA history. For now, the Pacers are winning in the head to head by 109 wins to 103. Last season, there was a split in wins, with two for each team, and in this one, it was the Pacers who struck first.

Predictions for Pacers vs. Riders

Will it be a defensive play? Those from Ohio surprise no one and we all know what they are capable of on defense. However, what the Pacers did at the start of the year, very few people expected: during their six victories, they reported the second best defensive ratio in the NBA. In the last game, they left the Cavs with just 93 points, their lowest score of the season, allowing the defenses to win for the second game in a row.

Control of possessions. After a month and a half of chaos, the Pacers are back in control of their season. Not only do they play at a high level on defense, but on offense they take care of the ball like no one else: They have lost by an average of just 11.3 in the last six games., best data in the NBA. Immediately afterwards, the Cavaliers, with 11.7, are the result of precise ball circulation and difficult to sink their teeth into. However, Haliburton’s withdrawal, if ultimately confirmed, could have a differential effect.

Triple. In four of their five losses, the Cavaliers shot below 35% on three-pointers. On Sunday, they remained at a low accuracy rate of 31.4%. This data narrows the formula too much, but at least it highlights the need to defend the triple well to hurt these dangerous Cavaliers.

Where to watch Pacers vs. Riders

The match between the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers can be seen in Spain through the NBA League Pass subscription.

(Cover photo by Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)