Cavaliers Host Pacers in NBA Cup Group Play
The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers in an NBA Cup group play matchup on Friday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The game, streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, pits a Cavaliers team seeking to rebound from a recent loss against a Pacers squad desperate for momentum amid a challenging start to the 2025-26 season.
Cleveland enters with a 10-6 record, holding fourth place in the Eastern Conference after a 114-104 defeat to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 21 points in that game, shooting 8 of 17 from the field while adding three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 34 minutes. The loss dropped Cleveland to 7-3 over its last 10 contests, where the team has averaged 123.6 points, 45.3 rebounds and 46.3 percent shooting. Despite the setback, Mitchell is expected to play, listed without injury concerns and averaging just over 30 points per game, sixth in the league. He has historically performed well against Indiana, posting 27.4 points, 4.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds across 17 career games.
The Cavaliers face some injury hurdles of their own. Point guard Darius...