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Find out the scoop on the CAVS from award-winning sports writer Bob Finnan.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Game 3: Cavs at Pacers

INDIANA PACERS (3-0) 89, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (1-2) 74
Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Saturday
Radio/TV: WTAM (1100 AM)/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs have lost seven in a row to the Pacers. They haven't won in Indianapolis since Jan. 29, 2010.

They're not going to win many games scoring 74 points and shooting 34.9 percent from the field.

The Cavs had just three players reach double figures, led by shooting guard Dion Waiters' 17 points. However, he had four steals and no assists. But it was a much better game than he had in Charlotte on Friday, where he didn't even show up.

Point guard Kyrie Irving's shooting woes continued with a 6-for-17 night. He did have 15 points and five assists.

Center Anderson Varejao battled against 7-2 center Roy Hibbert. Varejao finished with 14 points and six rebounds. It would have been nice to have Andrew Bynum to face off against Hibbert, but it wasn't to be on Saturday.

Bynum was held out of the second night of the back-to-back set, as expected. It could be that way for most of the season. He'll likely be ready to face Minnesota on Monday at The Q.

He played 11 minutes on Friday in Charlotte and had five points and three rebounds. He's getting good shots in the paint in his first two games, but is just 3 of 12 from the field. Those shots will start falling at some point. 

Let me get this out of the way: The Pacers are a far superior team to the Cavs in many ways. They have a budding superstar in Paul George, who had 21 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals. The Cavs had no one to guard him. No one. Several tried, including Earl Clark and Alonzo Gee.

I don't know about you, but I was expecting a little more production out of Clark. His shooting has totally gone south. He did have seven rebounds against the Pacers. I just thought he'd be able to score a little to take some of the pressure off the rest of the lineup.

Guard Lance Stephenson was also outstanding with a game-high 22 points. He was 5 of 7 from behind the arc. As a team, the Cavs were a meager 3 of 15.

The Pacers came within minutes last year of advancing to the NBA Finals. They are one of the top teams in the league. They are also extremely well-coached by Frank Vogel.

Indiana outscored the Cavs in every quarter, including 27-19 in the fourth when they pulled away.

Without Tristan Thompson playing extremely well, the Cavs never seriously threatened the Pacers. He had just two points and four rebounds. The Cavs were also smashed on the boards.

UP NEXT: The Cavs host Minnesota at 7 p.m. Monday at Quicken Loans Arena.

STARTERS
SF Earl Clark (6-10, 235) vs. Paul George (6-9, 220)
PF Tristan Thompson (6-9, 236) vs. David West (6-9, 250)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 267) vs. Roy Hibbert (7-2, 290)
SG Dion Waiters (6-4, 225) vs. Lance Stephenson (6-5, 230)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 193) vs. C.J. Watson (6-3, 185)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs - C Andrew Bynum, G Carrick Felix
Pacers - F Danny Granger
OFFICIALS
Bill Kennedy, Curtis Blair, Mark Lindsay

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