Monday’s loss was a combination of two issues that have plagued the Cavs all season – the third-quarter blues and running out of gas down the stretch due to a shortage of healthy bodies.
Both bit Cleveland after intermission against a Pacers team also battling the injury bug – with Indy limiting the Wine & Gold to just 17 points in the third period and closed the contest on a 20-11 run, pulling away for the 111-102 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Utilizing just eight players on Monday, J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad went toe-to-toe with their Central Division rivals – with 13 lead-changes through the first three quarters.