Feb 1, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball in front of Indiana Pacers guard George Hill (3) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Cavaliers won 111-106 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
— Guard Kyrie Irving scored eight of his team-leading 25 points in overtime Monday night, and the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to defeat the Indiana Pacers 111-106 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Forward LeBron James, who added 24 points and 12 rebounds, gave the Cavaliers (35-12) the lead for good with 1:37 remaining in the extra period, and two Irving free throws pushed the Cleveland lead to 107-104 with 43.2 seconds to go.
Irving and James each sank two free throws during the final 13.7 seconds as Cleveland improved to 25-2 when scoring 100 points or more and 25-3 when leading at halftime.
The Cavaliers have won five in a row.
Guard George Hill led the Pacers (25-23) with 23, and center Jordan Hill added 17 as Indiana lost for the seventh time in its last 10 games.
It was Cleveland’s first victory in Bankers Life Fieldhouse after 10 consecutive losses in the venue.
Forward Kevin Love and guard J.R. Smith each added 19 points for the Cavaliers. Forward Myles Turner and guard Monta Ellis each added 14 points for Indiana, and Turner also had 10 rebounds.
The Pacers had an opportunity to win in regulation, but Ellis missed a 17-foot jumper with one second on the clock. George Hill’s 3-pointer with 53.7 seconds remaining pushed the Pacers into a 96-94 lead, but Irving’s jumper with 44 seconds left tied it at 96.
Forward Solomon Hill’s dunk off a jump ball and an Ellis drive gave Indiana a 93-89 lead with 3:59 to go.
Cleveland began the fourth quarter with a 6-2 burst, pulling even at 81 with 10:23 remaining. The Pacers grabbed an 89-84 lead on a Jordan Hill three-point play with 6:49 to go, but the Cavaliers tied it at 89 on a Love layup and an Irving 3-pointer at the 6:04 mark.
Two Solomon Hill free throws with 0.6 seconds left in the third quarter gave Indiana a 79-75 lead, capping a 30-15 period.
Turner’s basket with 3:51 left in the third quarter gave Indiana a 69-67 lead, capping a 20-7 run, but Smith’s 3-pointer from the left wing gave Cleveland a 70-69 advantage at the 2:52 mark.
Indiana opened the second half on a 12-2 run, pulling to within 62-61 with 8:34 remaining in the third quarter, prompting a Cavaliers’ timeout. Ellis had seven of the nine points in that Pacers’ burst.
James scored the first half’s final four points, pushing the Cavaliers into a 60-49 lead. James had a 12-point second quarter, finishing the first 24 minutes with 17 points.
Cleveland made 15 of 22 first-quarter shots (68.2 percent) and was 11 of 20 (55 percent) in the second period. The Cavaliers’ starters — James, Love, forward Tristan Thompson, Smith and Irving — were a collective 24 of 37 from the field in the first half.
Love had 12 points and five rebounds in the opening half, and Thompson added 10 points and seven rebounds. Irving had 10 points and three assists.
George Hill had 15 first-half points, and forward Paul George added seven, although he was only 2 of 10 from the field.
Cleveland out rebounded Indiana 21-15 during the first two quarters.
NOTES: The Pacers were without C Ian Mahinmi (lower back pain) and G Rodney Stuckey (bruised right foot). … Jordan Hill started at center in place of Mahinmi. … The Cavaliers began the night with an Eastern Conference-best 15-9 road record, just better than the Toronto Raptors’ 14-9 mark. … The Cavaliers entered ranked fourth in the NBA in steals (9.4 per game) and opponent’s turnovers (16.7 per game). … Through the weekend, Indiana ranked third in opponents’ scoring (96.3 points per game) and fourth in opponents’ rebounds (40.6 per game) … The Cavaliers won this season’s first meeting, 101-97 on Nov. 8 in Cleveland. The teams split four games last season.
