Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) shoots over Indiana Pacers guard Ben Sheppard (26) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Monday, March 18, 2024.
AP Photo | Michael Conroy
INDIANAPOLIS — Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen each scored 23 points and the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Indiana Pacers 108-103 on Monday night.
Cleveland led by as many as nine in the final quarter before Indiana pulled even with 2:05 remaining. LeVert drove baseline then pulled up and swished a 9-foot fadeaway jumper to regain the lead. The Pacers didn’t score again.
LeVert had 11 assists and eight rebounds. Allen had nine rebounds.
The Cavaliers were without three starters including guard Donovan Mitchell, who averages a team-high 27.4 points but was a late scratch with a nose injury. The absences necessitated signing veteran forward Marcus Morris Sr. to a 10-day contract. Morris scored 14 off the bench.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 points and 12 rebounds. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points and 12 assists. Reserve guard T.J. McConnell scored 14.
The Cavs entered the night as the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed, which had them slotted for a first-round playoff series against the No. 6 Pacers. But the Pacers, about to embark on a five-game road trip, were only one win ahead of Miami and Philadelphia.
The Pacers led by as much as 15 midway through the second quarter before the Cavaliers surged to tie the game in the final minute of the first half. Cleveland’s largest third-quarter lead reached 10.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Miami Heat on Wednesday.
Pacers: Visit Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
