What is it with the Cavaliers and 20-point leads?
So far this season, they have led the Miami Heat by 27 points, the Phoenix Suns by 26, the New York Knicks by 22 and the Indiana Pacers by 20 — and they’ve lost all four games.
On Tuesday at Bankers Life Field House, they turned an 88-68 fourth-quarter lead into a 99-94 loss to the Pacers.
No one can explain what happens to the Cavs once they get up by 20 points. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Cavs are 3-4 this season in games in which they lead by at least 20 points. The rest of the NBA was 379-12 entering Tuesday’s games.
“I don’t know,” said Kyrie Irving, who led the Cavs with 29 points and is expected to play against Detroit on Wednesday, barring any unforeseen setbacks as he continues to recover from a sprained left shoulder. “I don’t know what it is. I honestly don’t have an answer for that.”
A terse coach Byron Scott said: “You would think after three times we would learn, after two times, really. But obviously we haven’t.”
Indeed. This one looked like all the rest. The Cavs were cruising, the bench was rocking, times were good. Tyler Zeller had 18 points and was a force inside.
After shooting 61 percent in the third quarter, Cleveland took an 84-64 lead into the fourth. Things were looking so dismal for the Pacers that coach Frank Vogel got two technical fouls and was ejected with 2:05 left in the third quarter.
He should have stuck around. After the Cavs took an 88-68 lead on an 18-footer by Omri Casspi with 9:04 left, it was all Pacers. Indiana scored 17 straight points in the next 4:53 and went on a 25-4 run, taking its first lead of the second half at 93-92 on a three-point play by George Hill with 46.5 seconds left. Hill led the Pacers with 27 points.
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