Smith registers season-high 23 points, lifts Cavs to 115-108 win over Pacers; Three takeaways

Thompson, Smith add new dimension to offense

Thompson only needed three minutes to justify head coach Tyronn Lue’s decision to start him, as he tallied four points and four rebounds in that span. A pair of put-back layups were a breath of fresh air for a first unit that need it the most.

“Kev and Tristan work really good together,” said Lue of the new lineup. “They did a good job defensively. I thought they did a good job of playing all the way through.”

“That’s a position I’ve been used to playing my entire career, so just to be back out there with T-Top and log big minutes with him, it felt familiar more than anything,” Love said.

Love snatched seven rebounds in his first 10 minutes of action, outmatching Thaddeus Young at power forward. The presence of the revamped frontcourt parlayed into open opportunities beyond the perimeter, with Smith going 4-of-6 from deep over his first 12 minutes.

“[Smith’s] just letting it fly,” said Love. “That’s who Swish is, and when he gets going, that momentum and fortune is tough to stop when he gets out there just in a great rhythm. So it was nice to see him really be himself tonight.”

Cleveland totaled seven second-chance points, and shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the field in the first quarter alone.

The same formula translated to the second quarter.

Thompson notched another four points and three rebounds, while Smith set new season-highs with two more treys (seven total three-pointers) and four steals . James knocked down his signature turnaround jump shot to end the half with a 73-60 advantage.

“I just shot the ball better,” Smith said. “Kyle (Korver) really helped me a lot with it and I watched a lot of film from the previous two years, and that’s what I was doing earlier on this year. So it was a good night.”

“It’s special,” said James. “We know how much [Smith’s] been struggling, and for him to come out and play the way he did through all four quarters, he put a complete game together and he needed that.”

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