Cavs, Pacers clash at Quicken Loans Arena

This is the second meeting of the season between the clubs. On November 24th, Jermaine O’Neal scored a team-high 29 points and the Pacers used a second-half rally to beat Cleveland, 97-87, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Indiana has lost three straight and four of its last five at Cleveland. These teams have split the last six contests in this series.

The Cavaliers won the first game on the stand. On Wednesday, LeBron James had 26 points, five rebounds and 10 assists to lead Cleveland to a come-from- behind 95-91 win over the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena.

Veteran Donyell Marshall ended with 19 points and six boards in the win over Toronto for the Cavaliers, while rookie Daniel Gibson set career-highs with 18 points and five rebounds in his first start for Cleveland, which has won two of its last three games overall.

Cleveland is 8-2 at home this season. The Cavaliers will visit Chris Paul and the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets on Monday at the Ford Center.

Indiana tries to win three in a row for the first time this season, as it opens a two-game road trip this evening. On Friday, Stephen Jackson scored 25 points and dished out five assists as the Pacers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 108-95, at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Pacers won despite missing All-Star forward Jermaine O’Neal, who missed the game because of a sore left hamstring. O’Neal leads the Pacers with 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game this season.

Jamaal Tinsley added 20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals in the win over Portland for the Pacers, who won their second straight contest and beat Portland for the seventh consecutive time. Al Harrington chipped in 16 points, while Danny Granger netted 14 off the bench.

O’Neal is questionable for tonight’s contest. He has missed two games this season.

The Pacers, who are scheduled to visit Ben Gordon and the Chicago Bulls on Monday at the United Center, are just 5-8 on the road this season.