INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen each scored 23 points and the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Indiana Pacers 108-103 on Monday night.
Cleveland led by nine in the final quarter before Indiana pulled back to tie it with 2:05 left. LeVert drove the baseline, then stopped and launched a 9-foot fadeaway jumper to regain the lead. The Pacers didn’t score again.
LeVert had 11 assists and eight rebounds. Allen had nine rebounds.
The Cavaliers were without three starters, including guard Donovan Mitchell, who is averaging a team-high 27.4 points but was a late scratch with a nose injury. The absences necessitated the signing of veteran forward Marcus Morris Sr. to a 10-day contract. Morris scored 14 off the bench.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Star player Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 12 assists. Reserve guard TJ McConnell scored 14.
The Cavs entered the night as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, which put them in a first-round playoff series against the No. 6 Pacers. But the Pacers, about to embark on a five-game road trip, were just one win ahead of Miami and Philadelphia.
The Pacers led by as many as 15 midway through the second quarter before the Cavaliers raced back to tie the game in the final minute of the first half. Cleveland’s largest lead in the third quarter reached 10.
FOLLOWING
Cavaliers: Host the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
Pacers: Visit the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
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