NBA: Pacers hope to avoid record losing streak, host Cavs

The Indiana Pacers have endured four 12-game losing streaks since joining the NBA in 1976.

They could make unwanted history on Tuesday when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers, as a loss would give them a franchise-worst 13 straight defeats.

Desmond Bane scored 31 points while Paolo Banchero added 28 points and 12 rebounds on Sunday as the Orlando Magic defeated Indiana 135-127. The loss extended the Pacers’ skid to 12 games, matching losing streaks from the 1982-83, 1984-85, and 1988-89 seasons.

Pascal Siakam continued his strong campaign with 34 points, while Andrew Nembhard recorded 20 points and 11 assists for Indiana. The Pacers have now lost 30 of their last 36 games after reaching the NBA Finals last season.

“There are positives,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’re making progress. We’ll look at all this stuff, but I was very proud of the way we battled.”

Indiana led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter against Orlando but unraveled in the second period, allowing a 17-0 Magic run as the Pacers struggled on both ends of the floor.

Siakam sparked a comeback with a 20-point third quarter, and Indiana briefly regained the lead when Nembhard scored with 7:29 remaining in the fourth. However, Bane responded with a basket, and Orlando pulled away down the stretch to secure its second win over the Pacers in five days.

“The stretch in the second quarter is what we’ve got to address,” Carlisle said after the game. “Any long offensive or defensive droughts, most times they’re related.”

Indiana is 0-2 against Cleveland this season, falling 120-109 on Nov. 21 and 135-119 on Dec. 1. Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell totaled 75 points across those two games and admitted that Indiana’s five-game upset of Cleveland in the 2025 Eastern Conference semifinals continues to motivate him.

Despite that, the Cavaliers remain outside the top six in the Eastern Conference standings and have struggled to recover from last season’s playoff disappointment.

“It comes down to decision-making and doing the right things,” Mitchell said. “But sometimes it’s just dumb things — communication, coverage, rebounding. Those are things we need to improve.”

Cleveland is coming off a 114-110 home loss to the East-leading Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Detroit played without starting center Jalen Duren (ankle) and power forward Tobias Harris (hip).

Mitchell scored 23 of his 30 points in the second half, while Darius Garland finished with 16 points and six assists. However, the Cavaliers were outplayed by Pistons two-way guard Daniss Jenkins, who scored 21 points on a perfect shooting night in the second quarter and finished with 25 points off the bench.

The loss snapped Cleveland’s three-game winning streak and marked its first defeat against former coach J.B. Bickerstaff since he took over in Detroit.

“We should have won this game and we didn’t,” Mitchell said. “And that’s on us.”

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen was ruled out at game time due to illness, while power forward Dean Wade remains sidelined with a bruised left knee. Sam Merrill moved into the starting lineup and scored 15 points, hitting five three-pointers despite playing through multiple injuries.

“We threw some punches, they threw some punches,” Merrill said. “But when you’re playing against a really good team, small mistakes get magnified. Sometimes it gets away from you quickly.”

Field Level Media/Reuters