Andrew Nembhard scored 19 points, Pascal Siakam added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers ended the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 12-game winning streak with a 108-93 victory on Sunday night.
The two teams will meet again Tuesday night in Indianapolis to complete their home-and-home series.
Myles Turner contributed 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Jarace Walker came off the bench to score eight points and grab 12 rebounds, helping Indiana win their sixth straight game. The Pacers held Cleveland to a season-low point total and outscored them 68-40 in the second half.
“There was nothing to lose, this is the best team in the league right now,” Nembhard said about the Cavaliers after the game in an on-court interview with FanDuel Sports Network. “We had to play hard, play together, and put some more physicality in the game on the defensive side of the ball, and play off of that.”
Cleveland’s loss ended their 12-game winning streak, their first defeat since December 8 at Miami. They are now 33-5 overall and 20-2 at home at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“What disappointed me was our first half was phenomenal, defensively, and then the second half, we fell off,” said Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson. “So, we couldn’t sustain our defense. Just disappointed.”
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 20 points and seven assists, Donovan Mitchell scored 19 points, and Evan Mobley had 16 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough.
“We were connected (on defense),” Nembhard said. “We didn’t fool around, even when we made mistakes, we helped out each other, and just made the next play.”
The win came at a cost for the Pacers as All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, who has played in all 40 games this season and leads the team with 8.9 assists and 35.0 minutes per game, sat out the second half due to left hamstring tightness. Haliburton had two points and five assists before leaving the game.
With the rematch just two days away, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle praised Cleveland’s depth and style under Atkinson, saying, “They don’t have any weaknesses. I mean, you can’t find any. All of their guys can score and those guys play defense, too.”
