CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavaliers begin a three-game road trip leading up to the All-Star Break with a Friday night matchup vs. the Indiana Pacers. Tipoff from Indianapolis is at 7 p.m. Eastern.
WATCH LIVE: DirecTV Stream, NBA League Pass, Bally Sports (cable subscription required).
Darius Garland returned from missing four games due to back soreness and scored 27 points on Wednesday night to lead the Cavs past the Spurs, 105-92. Garland will not play on Friday night.
Indiana’s last game was a 133-112 loss to Atlanta. But the Pacers will look very different after making a blockbuster trade before the trade deadline when they acquired Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield, among others, from the Kings for a package that included Domantas Sabonis.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (34-21) at Indiana Pacers (19-37).
When: Friday, Feb. 11, 2022.
Time: 7 p.m. Eastern.
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis (20,000).
TV: Bally Sports Ohio.
Cable channel finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios, WOW.
Live streams: DirecTV Stream, NBA League Pass and Bally Sports (TV provider sign-in required).
Latest line: Cavs -6.
Announcers: John Michael, Austin Carr and Serena Winters.
ALSO: How to stream Cleveland Cavaliers games this season if you don’t have cable
Read some of what Chris Fedor of cleveland.com wrote about how the Cavaliers’ trade for Caris LeVert started an arms race in the Eastern Conference.
The clock ticked toward 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, and the Cleveland Cavaliers remained active, looking at the possibility of a last-minute acquisition to bolster their lineup before ultimately opting to stand pat.
The Cavaliers already made their move, firing the first shot across the Eastern Conference — a direct hit that announced their status as a threat. Many of the other contenders — Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets — responded.
Welcome to the East arms race. Cleveland is at the epicenter.
Three days after the rising Cavaliers boosted their chances for a deep postseason run by acquiring Caris LeVert from Indiana — the missing piece, according to All-Star Darius Garland — other conference hopefuls spent Thursday making their own additions, increasing their odds and setting up an intense battle for conference supremacy.
“Whether we like it or not, as other players we like seeing what other teams are doing. We definitely pay attention and I pay attention also,” starting center Jarrett Allen said following Thursday’s practice, which wrapped about two hours ahead of the deadline buzzer. “Honestly I am fine with how we are. I wouldn’t want anything to break up the chemistry that we have as a team, the camaraderie that we have in the locker room and on the court. I think (president of basketball operations) Koby (Altman) has done an excellent job.”
Chemistry was something Cleveland’s front office considered during extensive — and exhausting — trade talks over the last few weeks. It’s a secret ingredient to the team’s success this season, transforming from helpless pushover to plucky contender.
The Altman-led braintrust also wanted to avoid dealing a rotational piece. The hope — if they could pull it off — was adding to the group without a risky subtraction.
The LeVert deal is an ideal example. Three draft picks — a 2022 lottery-protected first-rounder and multiple seconds — along with injured point guard Ricky Rubio, who appealed to the retooling Pacers because of a $17.8 million contract that creates an abundance of financial flexibility following this season.
The Cavs were able to keep Collin Sexton and Isaac Okoro out of that package — even though Indiana was interested in Okoro, sources say. Those favorable parameters played part in LeVert becoming the top target. His age, skill set, contract, team-first attitude, relationships with members of the roster, size and versatility also made him an ideal fit — simultaneously filling a scoring and playmaking void.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism