Cameron Payne made a good impression in Cavs’ loss to Pacers

It’s good to see Tristan Thompson back

Thompson has been the heart and soul of this team all year. He’s been the Cavs’ best and most consistent player all year and they really struggled without him in the lineup, which was the case for ten games due to TT having a reported foot sprain.

Thompson had struggled to find his rhythm on both ends of the floor since coming back for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that changed on Tuesday night as Thompson looked like the player he was before the injury. His play sparked the comeback against Indiana. Thompson scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half while adding in seven boards and four assists, per ESPN.

That kind of effort will need to continue considering the injury list continues to grow as Larry Nance Jr. left the game early with a knee injury, per Cavs.com’s Joe Gabriele. It could be up to Thompson to hold down the frontcourt the next week or so if Nance misses any time.

Even with Nance in the lineup, Cleveland often is at a size disadvantage inside, so we’ll see how the Cavs adjust if Nance isn’t quite at full strength.

The Cavs will need more games like this one against Indy, though, in terms of energy if they want to steal a game on the upcoming road trip.