If the Cleveland Cavaliers want to keep their chances of advancing to the next round of the NBA Cup, only a big win against the Indiana Pacers will do tonight (Friday).
The Cavs slipped up in their Pool A opener against the Toronto Raptors and recovered to beat the Washington Wizards, giving them a 1-1 record.
In the NBA Cup, there’s minimal margin for error in pool play, so realistically speaking, Cleveland will need to win their remaining games against the Pacers and against the Atlanta Hawks and hope the Raptors – currently a flawless 2-0 – lose both theirs.
Unlikely scenario? Yes. Impossible to believe it will become a reality? No.
Nov 13, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket beside Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
The Cavaliers can still progress to the knockout rounds if they manage to become the Eastern Conference’s wild card.
To do this, they need to have the highest point differential of any team in the East. And so far, so good in that aspect, as the Cavs have a +23 in point difference, which gives them the wild card, as things stand.
However, the Orlando Magic are close behind at +20, so to keep Cleveland’s hopes alive, they will need two wins, preferably by double digits.
On the other side, the Pacers have played just the one Pool A game, falling to the Hawks.
All games in the Cup count toward the 82-game regular-season standings, except the championship game.
Although tournament games count towards regular-season win-loss records, the Cup competition has no impact on the postseason bracket.
Once again, the Cavs are haunted by injuries, as has been the case throughout the season. Sam Merrill (hand) is out, and coach Kenny Atkinson is left sweating on Jaylon Tyson (concussion), Jarrett Allen (finger), and Darius Garland (toe). All three are listed as questionable.
Euro-stepping his way for 2…
That’s just Spida, being Spida ‼️
HOU/CLE on ESPN: https://t.co/Ay8AjAWCS5 pic.twitter.com/sqt1HHOeLq
— NBA (@NBA) November 20, 2025
The Cavs will still boast Donovan Mitchell, who is a human fireball at 30.2 points a game and Evan Mobley will look to improve on his free-throw line horror show, where he shot 4-for-10 from the stripe against the Houston Rockets. He averages 18.8 points and 8.6 boards.
Cleveland heads into their game against the struggling Indiana side, who have felt like last season’s NBA Finals were decades ago. Currently 2-13, they have struggled all season so far.
A win in their last game against the Charlotte Hornets provided hope, but they are feeling the effects of not having their superstar, Tyrese Haliburton, who is out for the entire season with a torn Achilles, that he suffered during Game 7 of the Finals.
Pascal Siakam has been carrying the load offensively, alongside Bennedict Mathurin, who leads the team in his four games with 27.8 points a contest.