NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from the Cleveland Cavaliers' Win Over the Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were riding a sweet 7-game win streak coming into this one and looked to build on it. But the basketball gods had other plans.

A last second tip-in by the high-flying 25-year-old resulted in the Pacers' streak being snapped, much to the dismay at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana. The Cavaliers beat the Pacers 92-91 and improved to 8-23 on the season.

On the other hand, the hosts of this clash ended up with a frustrating loss on home soil, though still strong in the third spot(Eastern Conference) with a 20-11(0.645) win-loss record. Even after this heartbreaking loss, Indiana have only lost three of their last ten games.

The Cavaliers, however, no longer possess the league-worst record anymore as the Hawks & Bulls follow on the East standings with Cleveland sitting in the 13th spot.

Let's draw some key takeaways from this nail-biting encounter as the lowly Cavaliers edge past the sturdy Pacers.

#1 Larry Nance Jr. had a game worth remembering

Larry Nance Jr. is averaging just 8.3 ppg this season.

Larry's career-high rebounding average of 7.1 per game this season screams wonders of his improved capabilities on the board.

For this game against the surging Indiana Pacers, he finished with an imposing double-double of 15 points and 16 rebounds, also including six assists and three steals. But no point or rebound was more important than the one he pulled off in the very final second of the game.

The Cavs were down by 1 as they inbounded the ball with just 8 seconds left on the clock. Rodney Hood's jumper bounced off the rim and Larry just might have shoved aside(uncalled by the referees) Victor Oladipo on the floor to tip the ball up and into the bucket, just before the clock expired.

"I told Hood to put the ball up on the rim with a couple seconds left so I can see if I could do something with it," Nance said. "He made a good move and did exactly that. I was lucky enough to get a hand on it."

He shot 7-of-14 from the floor and even managed to net one of his three 3-point attempts. This was his third 10+ rebound performance in the past five games he has played for Cleveland.

#2 Both teams shot pitifully bad from beyond the arc

Cavaliers' 3-point percentage is 13th in the league.

The Cavaliers attempted 31 three-pointers on the night but managed to make only six of them, bringing their shooting percentage down to a dismal 19.4% on the night. Following in their footsteps were their opponents who shot an equally bad 4-of-22(18.2%) from the distance.

Both teams attempted more three-pointers in this game than their season average. Even though the Pacers are fifth in three-point percentage in the league, they could not afford a bright night from beyond the arc with Oladipo, Collison, and McDermott being the only to make a shot from long range. Sadly, nobody on the Pacers could make more than a couple of 3s individually.

With the departure of star-shooter Kyle Korver, the Cavaliers have fallen into a shooting-hole of their own. Cedi shot 1-of-6 while Hood went 1-of-5 from the three-point line.

#3 Six of the Cavs players scored in double digits

With no Kevin Love and Jordan Clarkson available against the skillful Pacers, the Cavs sure gave them a respectable fight, making the serendipitous tip-in at the end of game look justified.

Osman, Sexton, Hood, Dellavadova, Burks & Larry Nance Jr. all scored in double digits, led by Rodney Hood's 17 points. Nance has now scored in the double-digits in six games this month after posting only four such efforts in October and November.

Everyone on the Cavs roster(except Nwaba) contributed to the scoring cause, giving the Pacers their first loss of December. As an add-on to the Cavaliers performance, this is only the second time the Pacers have held their opponent to under 100 points and lost this season.

"We didn't come ready to play. Cleveland played hungrier than we did," Doug McDermott said. "That's going to happen throughout the course of an NBA season, but you can't dwell on it too long because the next one's coming in less than 24 hours."