Pacers earn first home victory, 102-95 over Cavaliers

INDIANAPOLIS — Malcolm Brogdon had 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help the injury-depleted Indiana Pacers win at home for the first time this season, 102-95 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.

Jeremy Lamb added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and 17 rebounds. The Pacers have won two in a row after opening the season 0-3.

Brogdon hit four free throws in the final minute as Indiana avenged a 110-99 loss in Cleveland last weekend.

Kevin Love led Cleveland with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Collin Sexton added 21 points, and Jordan Clarkson had 20.

Indiana used a 12-3 run to take an 82-71 advantage.

With injured starters Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner cheering from the sideline, T.J. McConnell (five points and six assists) and Goga Bitazde (10 points, nine boards and four blocked shots) boosted an Indiana attack that shot 41% from the field and made just 5 of 27 3-pointers.

Malcolm Brogdon says the @Pacers‘ identity is centered around strong defense: “That’s what I think Coach McMillan does best, is give his guys confidence offensively but also teach us how to play defense. Tonight we defended.” #Pacers pic.twitter.com/zpaXSI3LrH

— FOX Sports Indiana (@FSIndiana) November 2, 2019

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Matthew Dellavedova, who played an average of 18 minutes in the first four games, was listed as out for personal reasons. … Earlier Friday, the team announced that general manager Koby Altman signed a “long-term” contract extension. Coach John Beilein reacted by expressing his hope for “a really strong partnership, that we’ve got each other’s backs all the time, that when we have disagreements we know that it’s healthy.”

Pacers: TJ Leaf started at power forward with Sabonis moving to center in place of Turner, who suffered a sprained right ankle Wednesday in a 118-108 win at Brooklyn. Leaf played eight minutes and did not score. … Indiana outscored Cleveland in the paint 56-38.

UP NEXT

Cavaliers: Host Dallas on Sunday night.

Pacers: Host Chicago on Sunday.