Cleveland Cavaliers: Pluses and minuses vs. the Indiana Pacers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are still searching for their first win of the season after losing 119-107 against the Indiana Pacers.

Kevin Love missed his second straight game due to a sore left foot and the results the last two games are what you’d expect. While Love has had a disappointing start to the season, this Cleveland Cavaliers’ team is going to struggle when he’s out of the lineup.

To the Cavs credit, they did a good job of fighting against a much better team. The Cavaliers played with energy throughout the game, but energy can only take you so far against a much more skilled team. Indiana wore them down throughout the game and were able to pull away at the end thanks to a 24-point performance from Victor Oladipo.

Rodney Hood led the team with 17 points on eight-of 15 shooting with five rebounds and three assists. Larry Nance Jr. was the Cavs best player Saturday night as he finished with 15 points, 12 boards, four assists, and a steal. He did a really good job directing traffic in the half-court with dribble hand-offs and his passing got guys in favorable positions, especially in the second half.

Collin Sexton had another up-and-down performance. He finished with 12 points and four assists, but he had a tough time finding his shot, going just two-of-eight form the field. On the bright side, he continues to do a great job of getting to the line, which is very important for a point guard of his size. He went eight-of-nine from the charity stripe.

The Cavs are fighting, but that hasn’t been enough so far. Here’s what we learned from another loss.