Rough shooting night for Cavs as win streak snapped by Pacers

CLEVELAND — The NBA's longest winning streak went down the tubes on Sunday. The Indiana Pacers caught fire in the second half and stunned the Cavaliers 108-93, ending Cleveland's 12-game winning streak. The Cavs (33-5) hadn't lost since Dec. 8 at Miami. The Cavs' free-flowing offense, ranked first throughout the season, was totally inept against the Pacers (22-18). Cleveland shot just .398 from the field and .268 from the 3-point line and missed numerous wide-open looks on the perimeter. It wasn't their poor offensive showing that perturbed Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. He was upset with his team's defensive effort in the second half, when Indiana scored 68 points and shot .614 from the field. "Our defensive mindset in the second half (was off)," he said. "We can't blame this on (our) missed shots. There was a letdown. It was more of a mental letdown more than anything." Once All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton was knocked out of the game with tightness in his hamstring at halftime, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle reverted to full-court pressure. That led to 13 turnovers by the Cavs, including seven by the starting backcourt. "We didn't handle the pressure well," Atkinson said. The Cavs failed to crack 100 points for the first time this season — their previous low was 101 vs. Atlanta on Nov. 29 — and their 33 field goals were the fewest. It all added up to one of their worst losses of the season. "We didn't play up to our standards," Cleveland point guard Darius Garland said. "We went an entire month without a loss. We were due for one." They'll have an opportunity for revenge Tuesday in Indiana. The Cavs opened a 53-40 lead at halftime, but things unraveled in the third quarter. The Pacers blitzed Cleveland 37-18 to take control of the game. "Our physicality hasn't been there (in the third quarter)," Garland said. Garland paced the Cavs with 20 points and seven assists, while guard Donovan Mitchell added 19 points. It was Mitchell's fourth game in a row being held under 20 points. "We just missed shots," Mitchell said. "But if we don't make shots, we still have to guard. "We need to come out with a sense of urgency. We had slippage tonight. You can't be perfect every night." Power forward Evan Mobley added 16 points and 12 rebounds, while center Jarrett Allen contributed 11 points and nine rebounds. Guard Andrew Nembhard had 19 points to lead the Pacers, who have won six in a row. Tough stretch The Cavs have 16 games remaining before the All-Star break. Twelve of those games will be against teams with a record of .500 or better. "It's fatigue time," Atkinson said. "We've got to manage our guys." More of a threat Mobley needs two 3-point attempts to reach a career high in long-range shots. He's shooting a career-high .416 from behind the arc (42-of-101). "It gives us more spacing," Atkinson said. "Our ceiling is higher as his proficiency goes up." The coach said Mobley's 3-point prowess could pay off in a big way in the postseason. "We've given the guy the green light," Atkinson said. The coach cautioned that he doesn't want Mobley to turn into Brook Lopez 2.0. The Milwaukee center attempts almost 11 threes per game and rarely tries to score in the paint. Jerome sidelined Guard Ty Jerome missed the Indiana game after being sick. "He was pretty sick yesterday," Atkinson said. If Jerome had been available, the Cavs would have been fully healthy for the first time all season. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.