With 3 games left, Cavaliers and Pacers still have goals to reach

The red-hot Indiana Pacers are searching for their fifth consecutive win Thursday, hosting a Cleveland Cavaliers team that has been the dominant force in the Eastern Conference all season.The Cavaliers (63-16) clinched the No. 1 seed in the East by beating the Chicago Bulls 135-113 on Tuesday. If Cleveland were to win its final three regular-season games, it would match the franchise record of 66 wins set by the 2008-09 team led by LeBron James.”I think you celebrate these moments,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I think we got out of the gate so quick, we got ahead of it early. We had some ups and downs this last month, but I’m really proud of the guys and proud of the organization. It’s hard to win 63 games in this league. It’s hard to be the first seed. We all know that.”While matching the franchise wins record would be nice, it likely isn’t the highest priority. With the first seed in the bag, Cleveland could rest its stars for one or more of their remaining games.”It’s kind of going to be a collaborative thing,” Atkinson said. “The players are a part of this — I’ll talk to all of them. They’re not going to get out of shape, right? You don’t decondition, I’m not worried about that. It’s more rhythm.”The Pacers (48-31) also have an incentive to win out. If Indiana wins its final three games and the Knicks lose their final three, the Pacers clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Instead of facing the likely No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks with recent NBA championship experience, Indiana would be tasked with facing an upstart Detroit Pistons team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2019.Indiana is coming off a 104-98 win over the bottom-feeding Washington Wizards on Tuesday, led by a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double by Pascal Siakam. Tyrese Haliburton added 22 points and seven assists but was on the receiving end of a highlight-reel crossover from Washington rookie Bub Carrington.Siakam’s return was a welcome sight after he missed the Pacers’ 125-120 win over the Nuggets on Sunday.