The Indiana Pacers host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse as both teams enter the contest with contrasting momentum and lengthy injury lists.
Cleveland arrives at 12–9 and on a two-game slide after falling 117–115 to Boston on November 30. Indiana enters at 4–16 but has won two straight following victories over Chicago and Washington.
This is their second meeting of the season after the Cavaliers earned a 120–109 win on November 21.
The Cavaliers list six players out, beginning with Jarrett Allen, who remains sidelined due to a right third-finger strain. His absence removes a 14.3-point and 7.6-rebound anchor from the frontcourt.
Darius Garland is out for left great-toe injury management and misses his eighth game of the year. Cleveland also rules out Lonzo Ball due to illness after the guard logged 23.6 minutes per game across 16 outings.
The perimeter rotation remains thin with Sam Merrill unavailable because of a right-hand sprain. Larry Nance Jr. continues to recover from a right-calf strain, and Max Strus is out following left-foot surgery.
Those injuries place a heavier load on Donovan Mitchell, who leads the Cavaliers with 29.9 points and 5.5 assists per game. Evan Mobley enters averaging 19.2 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting .500 from the field across 20 starts.
Cleveland will also rely on De’Andre Hunter’s 17.4 points per game and Jaylon Tyson’s .461 three-point shooting to stabilize spacing.
Indiana’s injury report is equally extensive and includes six unavailable players. Tyrese Haliburton remains out with a right Achilles tear.
Aaron Nesmith is sidelined with a left knee MCL sprain after producing 15.5 points across 11 games. Obi Toppin also remains out due to a right-foot stress fracture.
Johnny Furphy will not play because of a left-ankle sprain, while Quenton Jackson misses time with a right-hamstring strain. Kam Jones is unavailable due to a lower-back stress reaction.
The Pacers continue to lean heavily on Pascal Siakam, who leads the team at 23.9 points and 7.2 rebounds while averaging 34.5 minutes. Bennedict Mathurin returns to the rotation as a key scoring option at 22.2 points per game through nine appearances.
Andrew Nembhard enters the matchup with 17.2 points and 6.2 assists and handles primary playmaking duties with Haliburton sidelined.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET in Indianapolis.
