The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and the Indiana Pacers are locked into the fourth spot, setting up a potential second-round playoff matchup.
Cleveland also is guaranteed the second-best overall record behind West-leading Oklahoma City, leaving it and the visiting Pacers with nothing tangible on the line when they play on Sunday afternoon.
“There might be some guys that want to play to keep their rhythm,” said Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, whose team has won seven of its last 10.
“I’ve got to talk with them to see what they want to do. We’ll give our feedback and come to a decision.”
All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley will be rested by Cleveland (64-17). Atkinson has given his other core players the option to take the afternoon off following the team’s 108-102 victory in New York on Friday.
Center Jarrett Allen will be in the lineup, completing his quest to appear in all 82 games. The eighth-year pro also is on the verge of leading the league in field goal percentage, holding a .707-.692 advantage over Detroit’s Jalen Duren.
“It’s just a pride thing at the end of the day,” said Allen, whose previous high was 80 games with Brooklyn in 2018-19. “Playing 82 games, that’s been a goal. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
Though leading scorer Mitchell hasn’t played since spraining his left ankle on April 6 against Sacramento, his absence has been strictly precautionary. He worked out on the court before the Knicks game and is “healthy right now,” according to Atkinson.
In his absence, Garland rallied the Cavaliers for their largest comeback win of the season at New York. Cleveland trailed by 23 in the first half before he caught fire and scored 13 of his team-best 26 points in the fourth quarter.
“Whenever it’s clutch time, we know Darius is going to make the right plays,” Mobley said. “We just find a way to win.”
Cleveland will face the No. 8 seed in the East, which won’t be determined until the conclusion of the play-in tournament on Friday. Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago and Miami are the potential foes.
Indiana (49-32) is set to battle No. 5 seed Milwaukee in the first round, finalizing the series when it lost 129-115 to the visiting Magic on Friday. None of the Pacers’ starters dressed as Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner officially were listed as tending to injury management and are not expected to play against the Cavaliers.
Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points and eight rebounds, and rookie Johnny Furphy set season highs with 17 points and 32 minutes against Orlando. Furphy also provided the highlight of the night by driving out of the left corner and hammering home a right-handed dunk over big man Goga Bitadze.
“That was pretty cool,” Pacers small forward Jarace Walker said. “Good job, big dog. That was very athletic.”
Two-way players RayJ Dennis, Quenton Jackson and Enrique Freeman saw extended time for Indiana, as well, combining for 27 points and six assists off the bench. Walker had 15 points and eight rebounds.
“It’s not easy being a younger player and not having the support of your better players on the floor,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s a responsibility to be a caretaker of the game for your teammates. You’re kind of on your own and you learn how important the high-level players are to the functioning of the ecosystem.”
