The Cleveland Cavaliers just suffered their fifth loss of the season.
It only took them 38 games.
They were riding a league-best 12-game winning streak before the Indiana Pacers got the best of them.
When asked what went wrong, Darius Garland had a simple answer: They went away from their identity (via Spencer Davies).
“We had a slippage tonight. Now it’s how to you fix it? Don’t compound it.”
Donovan Mitchell & Darius Garland react to the #Cavs falling to the Pacers, who took over the second half on each end.
Kenny Atkinson was especially real & transparent about his feeling on the evening. pic.twitter.com/mwns8tbJWr
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) January 13, 2025
Garland claimed they were very good in the first half but went away from what worked for them in the second half.
They allowed the Pacers to get some easy looks, and it was simply too late to climb their way back into the game.
The Cavs had a rare off-night on the defensive end of the floor.
They allowed the Pacers to shoot almost 47% from the floor and over 31% from beyond the arc.
Conversely, they shot just 11 of 41 from three-point territory (26.8%), far below their standards.
This was just the team’s second loss at home all season.
The Pacers became just the fourth team to beat the Cavaliers.
Notably, both teams won’t have much time to watch the tape and prepare for their next encounter.
On Tuesday night, the Cavs will hit the road to try and get back at Rick Carlisle’s team in Indianapolis.
Hopefully, Kenny Atkinson and his team will make the required adjustments to avenge that loss and keep the momentum going.
You never want to lose two in a row, much less against the same opponent, who is also a potential postseason foe.
NEXT: Evan Mobley Is Averaging Career-Highs In 2 Stats
