The Indiana Pacers play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

The Cavaliers (7-23) actually have five wins in their last 14 games, which is probably their best stretch of the season. That shows just how much this team has fallen off though, as they're a shell of the Eastern Conference champs from the last few years. Losing LeBron James and Kyrie Irving is enough reason why but it's even easier to understand why when you notice that their top-scorer and top-rebounder are injured as well. That happens to be Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, as neither of those players are expected to return back for another month. That means these young players have to pick up the pace and they've done an admirable job thus far. Players like Collin Sexton, Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson are all playing above expectations and fans have to hope this is the core of the future. It's still not good enough to win games at this level but promise is all fans can hope for with the roller coaster this franchise has gone through over recent years.

The Pacers (20-10) come into this matchup in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, as they appear to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The return of Victor Oladipo can't be overlooked either, as he provided 26 points. eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals in the most recent win over the New York Knicks. That's the Oladipo that fans became accustomed to last season and it's a beautiful sign that the pieces around him are performing too. Players like Darren Collison, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner all found their form in the weeks that Oladipo sat out and it's gotten this team right where they want to be. Having all of these players playing at top form is what's scary, as they have one of the best starting units in the league.

Indiana won their one game over Cleveland earlier this season, 119-107, on October 27. That marked their fourth win in their last five games against Cleveland.