Indiana Pacers cruise their way into the new year with win over Cleveland

The Indiana Pacers improved to 4-1 in their last game of 2020 by cruising past the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The Indiana Pacers had a matinee contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers to end 2020. The Cavs came into Indy with the same record as the Pacers sitting at 3-1. Aaron Holiday would find himself in the starting lineup for T.J. Warren who was dealing with foot soreness.

The Pacers opened up the game active and aggressive as they went straight at the Cavaliers. Domantas Sabonis showed his willingness to take three-point shots as he hit both attempts in the quarter while adding four rebounds and two assists. Myles Turner and Aaron Holiday also contributed early by adding six and five points respectively. The Pacers closed the first quarter on a 21-10 run while shooting 63 percent giving them a 32- 21 lead.

The second quarter started off with the second unit and Myles Turner on the floor. The Pacers cooled off a little bit offensively during this stretch but stayed active on the defensive end. Victor Oladipo had two beautiful plays in the second quarter, one being an and-1 finger roll that was smooth as butter. The second one came at the end of the half where Oladipo found a cutting Sabonis to the rim for a score. The Pacers led 57-51 at the half.

The Pacers cruised the rest of the way. Sabonis had 11 of his 25 points as the Pacers netted themselves another 30-point quarter in a beautifully played third quarter. The Cavs opened up the 4th quarter with a 10-0 run to cut the Pacer’s lead to 10. That’s the lowest it would get the rest of the way as the Pacers would easily take this contest 119-99. The Pacers now move to 4-1 on the season.

There are a few takeaways from this game. Sabonis continues his early-season dominance after bouncing back from his game against the Boston Celtics finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Myles Turner continues to be an absolute menace on defense.  Turner had five STOCKS combining that with 14 points and seven rebounds. Doug McDermott provided a spark off the bench with the extra minutes he saw since T.J. Warren was out. McDermott exploded for 18 points and nine rebounds.

The Pacers will find themselves back in action on Saturday as they play the New York Knicks for the second time this season. The Pacers won the first contest 127-107 and hopefully, we will see a repeat of that game.