The Indiana Pacers, in the midst of their final homestand before the regular season commences, take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. Rick Carlisle’s boys are coming off a 104-98 win against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. This contest marks the third meeting between the two teams, with the winner set to gain a 2-1 advantage in their season series.
The Pacers and the Cavaliers first faced off against each other on Jan. 12 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Indiana managed a 108-93 win despite Tyrese Haliburton’s absence in the second half. Andrew Nembhard stepped up by scoring 19 points, while the frontcourt duo of Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam collectively put up 33 points and 19 rebounds.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, witnessed strong performances from Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, combining for 55 points. However, the All-Star trio couldn’t prevent the Pacers from snapping their 12-game win streak.
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Cleveland redeemed themselves two nights later at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, though. The Cavaliers required a dominant display from Mitchell, who had a 35-point and 9-assist near-double-double, to overcome the Haliburton-less Pacers. Four other players – Mobley, Garland, Jarrett Allen and Max Strus – also contributed with double-digit scoring performances in the 127-117 victory.
Thursday’s result will have no consequence on Cleveland’s positioning in the standings, explaining their reason for ruling out a few members from the starting lineup. However, a win will guarantee the Pacers the #4 seed for the playoffs.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for April 10
Cleveland Cavaliers starting lineup and depth chart
The Cleveland Cavaliers will start with Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill, De’Andre Hunter, Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen.
The Indiana Pacers’ projected starting lineup includes Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner.
Point Guard
Shooting Guard
Small Forward
Power Forward
Center
Tyrese Haliburton
Andrew Nembhard
Aaron Nesmith
Pascal Siakam
Myles Turner
T.J. McConnell
Bennedict Mathurin
Jarace Walker
Obi Toppin
Thomas Bryant
Johnny Furphy
Tony Bradley
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers Injury Reports for April 10
Cleveland Cavaliers injury report
The Cavaliers have ruled out four key pieces for the clash against their Division rivals. Donovan Mitchell (left ankle sprain), Darius Garland (left toe sprain), Evan Mobley (rest) and Max Strus (right knee contusion) will be sidelined.
Indiana Pacers injury report
The Indiana Pacers have a fairly fit roster. Isaiah Jackson is the only player set to miss out due to a tear in his right Achilles tendon, while Ben Sheppard is questionable.
Advait Jajodia is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over four years of experience in the field with The SportsRush.
Advait has a love of basketball that stems from playing the game, and has represented Mumbai North at the Inter-District State Championship and Maharashtra at the ASISC National Games.
His favorite team is the New Orleans Pelicans, although Advait also has an affinity for the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. His favorite player of all time was Kobe Bryant, as the Lakers legend’s undeniable talent and mentality were just unignorable. As for players in the current game, Stephen Curry, Zion Williamson, Victor Wembanyama, and Kyrie Irving are top of Advait’s list.
When not watching or writing about sports, Advait is a fan of true crime shows, board games and console gaming.
