Pacers defeat Cavaliers 119-99

 The Cleveland Cavaliers ended 2020 as they did on so many nights during the calendar year- with a loss, this one to the Indiana Pacers in an afternoon game in Indianapolis 119-99.

Collin Sexton led Cleveland with 28 points with Darius Garland adding 21 points in the first game of a six-game road trip.

Cleveland visits the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night in their next game.

Swashbucklings

1) Cleveland's big men battled foul trouble throughout the game and it showed against Domantis Sabonis, who scored 25 points and finished with 11 rebounds and 7 assists.

2) Sabonis is the son of the great Arvydas Sabonis and just as his father, Sabonis is a well-rounded big man and an excellent passer.

Sabonis can shoot from the outside, yet always seems to be around the ball on the interior.

If Sabonis can avoid the constant injuries that plagued his father, he could be an All-Star for years to come.

3) Indiana entered the game as one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the league, yet they hit sixteen of them against Cleveland.

It's tough to stop a team when they shoot forty-five percent from three-point range.

4) Collin Sexton scored 28 points and Darius Garland 21, but the pair struggled on the defensive end against Victor Oladipo, Aaron Holiday and it seemed like every other Pacer short of Billy Keller and Rick Mount was scoring against the Cleveland backcourt.

I'm not as sold on basketball's plus-minus stat compared to hockey, but Garland was an awful minus 21.

5) JaVale McGee fell into foul trouble and played only fourteen minutes, but finished with thirteen rebounds.

I've liked what I've seen from McGee so far, but I do have concerns that he might be thinking he is more potent offensively than he actually is as far as his shot selection.

6) The foul problems allowed former Bucks first-rounder Thon Maker to play for nine minutes and Maker scored six points.

At only 23, Maker still has potential as a role player, and with the injuries to the Cleveland frontcourt it might be the right time to find Maker a little more playing time.