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The Cleveland Cavaliers, fueled by 35 points from Donovan Mitchell, beat the Indiana Pacers 127-117 on Tuesday, avenging a Sunday defeat and pushing their NBA-best record to 34-5.
Three days after the Pacers ended their 12-game winning streak - handing the Cavs just their second home loss of the season - Cleveland travelled to Indianapolis and halted the Pacers' six-game win streak. Mitchell set an early tone, scoring 19 points in the first quarter. Indiana briefly grabbed a two-point lead early in the second quarter and trailed by just one at half-time, but the Cavaliers outscored the Pacers 38-28 in the third to take control.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 23 points. Benedict Mathurin added 19 before he was ejected late in the fourth quarter after receiving his second technical foul for bumping into an official as he disputed a call. He received his first technical for hanging on the rim after a stunning dunk in the second quarter.
Seven Pacers players scored in double figures, but with star Tyrese Haliburton sidelined by a groin injury, it wasn't enough. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said it was the response he was looking for after Sunday's defeat. "It was a playoff-type response," Atkinson said. "You get knocked in the teeth, punched in the mouth, and we responded.
Really, Donovan set the tone. It was one of those nights where he wasn't going to let us lose." Cleveland's Evan Mobley scored 13 of his 22 points in the decisive third period and Darius Garland added 24 for the Cavs, who will face the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Thursday in a clash of teams with the best records in the league.
