Cavs: Cleveland Cavaliers fumble away victory against Indiana Pacers

Cleveland Cavaliers fumbled away a huge lead as T.J. McConnell steals a win for the Indiana Pacers in a game that ended the win streak of the Cavs.

The Cavaliers looked like they were going to have a big night against the Pacers, holding a good lead through most of the game, the Cavs couldn’t stop the turnovers. The team had 25 on the night, with Collin Sexton (6) and Javale McGee (5) having the most for Cleveland. This helped the Pacers drop the Cavs 114-111.

The Pacers were able to capitalize off of it, watching their point guard, T.J. McConnell, post a triple in points (16), assists (13), and steals (10). He did it while shooting 8-8 from the floor and not committing any fouls. By far, McConnell is the player of the game.

The Cavs lost Darius Garland to a groin strain during the game. The second-year point guard was having a good night, shooting 6-9 from the floor while going 3-4 from three-point. He had five assists and 16 total points while playing pretty solid defense against the Pacers Justin Holiday.

Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade both had big games for the Cavs. Wade put up 17 points, and went 5-8 from three, while also pulling down six rebounds and giving Pacers star Domantas Sabonis fits all night. Allen had another night of good shooting, 6-7, while posting a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds. Sexton had led all players with 32 points on solid efficiency while dropping in 10 assists for a double-double as well.

The Pacers were able to take advantage of Sexton’s inability to play defense, with Malcolm Brogdon shooting 12-15 from the floor, a perfect 3-3 from three, and finishing with 29 points. The constant pressure from McConnell and the scoring ability of Brogdon made the Cavalier’s backcourt look pretty beatable.

This should’ve extended the Cavs to five-straight wins, but 25 turnovers will sink any ship, and Cleveland was no exception. They now go into the All-Star break 14-22, with their next game not coming until Friday the 12th of March.