Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers — both teams with good form of late — are set to square off at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday.
Cavaliers, who lost their first match of the regular season against the Bulls, have been in rampaging form ever since, having emerged triumphant in their last five matches. Pacers, who lost their first three games, have looked in splendid touch in their last three games, which they have won.
However, the Pacers' last two wins have not been easy. The matches have been relatively close, with scores reading 90-87 (Heat) 100-98 (Boston Celtics). Irrespective of the margin of win, the Pacers should be high on confidence after defeating the mighty Miami Heat, one of the strongest teams in the league.
The Pacers have to deal with the magic of LeBron James and Kevin Love, who have both started the season very well for the Cavaliers. James averages 23.7 points per game (ppg) and Love has been a solid performer as well with 16.2 ppg. If the duo gets act going, Pacers' three-match undefeated streak might be brought down.
Despite good performances from his teammates, James is not happy with the way they have started their games. In the last three matches, the Cavs were trailing at the end of the first half. James does not want them to start in a similar manner against a good team like the Pacers.
"I don't like how we've started the last three games," AP quoted James as saying. "We've got to do a better job of that. We can't do it on Sunday against a team that's pretty good in Indiana, so we've got to change our approach a little bit."
The Pacers might not have any players in James' bracket, but need their key players like Monta Ellis and Paul George to get their game going against the Cavaliers. George averages 22.5 ppg this season.
Pacers' fans will be asking George to deliver like he did against Heat on Friday, when he managed to score 36 points and looked in good touch from the first whistle.
"I think I'm getting more comfortable with the offence," George told Pacers' official website. "(Friday), from the tip I got a quick layup and felt good from there on. And then I got rolling in the second half."
Can George and the Pacers stun the home team?
Where to watch live
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers NBA game is scheduled for 3:30 pm EST (2 am IST, 8:30 pm GMT) start. There is no live TV coverage in India.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers live game will be shown live in the UK on BT Sport 2 with live streaming on Watch BT Sport or with the BT Sport Online app.
US viewers can watch Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacerson Fox Sports Ohio.
International viewers, including those in India, can watch all the NBA live action by live streaming on NBA Online.
