Cleveland @ Indiana preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 8, 2017 ) Cleveland 102, Indiana 106

The Indiana Pacers have played well against the Cleveland Cavaliers this campaign and look to improve to 3-0 in the season series when they host the next meeting on Friday. Indiana, which rolled to a 124-107 victory in Cleveland on Nov. 1 and posted a 106-102 home win on Dec. 8, now faces a struggling team that has dropped its last two games by an average of 31 points.

The Cavaliers were steamrolled 133-99 by Toronto on Thursday, with the 34-point margin of defeat being the team's largest of the season - topping Monday's 28-point setback against Minnesota. Cleveland has lost six of its last eight games, looking out of sync and demoralized in the back-to-back poor efforts. "I don't know where it kind of went wrong or what happened," Cavaliers forward LeBron James told reporters in regard to the routs. "We've got to try to pick it back up and find it." Indiana is 2-1 on its four-game homestand after dropping a 114-106 decision to Miami on Wednesday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), FS Indiana

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (26-15): Cleveland allowed a season high in points in the loss to Toronto, which exposed the defense and repeatedly broke down the team. Kevin Love tried to take the "impossible to get worse" approach while expressing his displeasure with the recent stretch of rough performances. "We have enough talent here to get over that hump and make a lot of good things happen," Love said after the defeat. "Right now, it's just tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is there. We will get out of it and we will get better."

ABOUT THE PACERS (21-20): Leading scorer Victor Oladipo recorded 26 points in the loss to Miami but missed all six of his 3-point attempts as Indiana was just 1-for-18 from beyond the arc. Outside shooting had been a strong point for the Pacers, as they rank fourth in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (37.9) and are tied for eighth in scoring at 107.3 points per game. Oladipo is shooting a career-best 41 percent from 3-point range but is just 1-for-11 over his last two contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Oladipo averaged 28 points and made 11-of-20 3-point attempts in this season's two victories over the Cavaliers.

2. Cleveland PG Isaiah Thomas is expected to rest Friday after scoring four points on 2-of-15 shooting against Toronto.

3. Indiana C Myles Turner (elbow) will miss his second straight game.

PREDICTION: Pacers 112, Cavaliers 106