Fresh off a 99-96 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to secure the win over their division foe Indiana Pacers on Friday night, losing 109-100.
Leading the Cavs starting lineup in scoring was guard Collin Sexton with 10 points. Both Sexton and Darius Garland combined to score 19 points on 7-26 shooting from the floor.
While the starting lineup didn’t light up the box score, the bench unit picked up the slack, with Ricky Rubio (14), Dylan Windler (12), and Lauri Markkanen (11) all in double figures.
Bickerstaff has preached about pacing for the team’s offense, and it was evident early in the ballgame as the ball was pushed frequently. The Cavaliers had a few turnovers early on, which led to a loss of momentum in the first quarter.
As the game progressed, fans got to see some of the players that have had some buzz this offseason in wing Dylan Windler and point guard Kevin Pangos.
Windler got to showcase his range from deep, shooting 4-5 from three-point range, including one from deep beyond the arc. The sharpshooter dealt with plenty of injuries over his brief career, but if he is able to stay healthy, he should be able to carve out a role on a Cavs team that needs help from the wing.
After Cavs fans filled the arena with “We want Tacko” chants, Cavaliers biggest big man Tacko Fall entered the game for the first time in the Wine and Gold.
The big man finished with 4 points and a rebound but received a resounding MVP chant from the home fans, who were excited to finally see the UCF product get on the court.
The Cavaliers will be in action once again on Sunday night as they take on the Chicago Bulls at 7 pm from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.