CLEVELAND _ Going into Wednesday night's action, the Cavaliers were the only 2017 playoff qualifier that had started the season under .500.
So those questioning the necessity of a Cavs' team meeting Tuesday may not have realized the issues that needed to be addressed, both on the court and off, as a team with eight new players tries to jell.
The result wasn't immediately evident against the Indiana Pacers Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.
LeBron James scored 14 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter and dished out 11 assists, but the Cavs lost for the fifth time in their last six games, 124-107.
Derrick Rose added 19 points, Jeff Green 15 and Kevin Love 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavs (3-5).
"We did some good things," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "We just have to sustain it for 48 minutes."
The Cavs had won nine consecutive games against the Pacers at the Q in the regular season and playoffs dating back to March 30, 2014, and those came before the Pacers traded four-time All-Star Paul George last summer.
But past history hasn't meant much for the Cavs of late. They saw a 10-game winning streak against the New York Knicks snapped on Sunday at home. The Orlando Magic broke a string of 17 consecutive losses to the Cavs on Oct. 21 at the Q.
Even after their clearing-the-air meeting, the list of problems the Cavs need to clean up remains long.
The Cavs extended their string of not leading at halftime to six consecutive games.
Averaging 16.1 turnovers per game coming in, they lost 12 in the first 24 minutes. The Pacers also took advantage of Cavs on the fast break, outscoring them 11-2 in the first half and 16-6 for the game.
The Cavs finished with 16 turnovers, eight of those by James, which tied his season high at Brooklyn on Oct. 25.
Injuries have limited the time the Cavs starters have spent together in training camp and the regular season and that bad luck continued.
Cavs center Tristan Thompson limped to the bench with 1:41 remaining in the second quarter with strained left calf and did not return. Thompson, who left the arena on crutches, had started the last four games (including Wednesday) after opening the season with the second unit.
Perimeter defense has also been an issue for the Cavs and the Pacers torched them for 16-of-26 beyond the arc. Victor Oladipo hit 5-of-7, Bojan Bogdanovic 3-of-4, Darren Collison 3-of-3, Cory Joseph 2-of-3 and Thaddeus Young 2-of-4. Entering the night, the Cavs had given up a league-high 13.7 3-pointers per game.
The Cavs, meanwhile, hit only 7-of-31 (22.6 percent) from long range, with Jae Crowder going 0-for-5 and James and Kyle Korver 1-for-5.
Most notable was Korver because of his past success against the Pacers. Last season in two games as a Cav, Korver went 14-for-17 on 3s against the Pacers. In Game 3 of the Cavs' first-round playoff sweep, Korver hit 4-of-5 from long range.
Old James nemesis Lance Stephenson _ who blew in James' ear during a Pacers-Heat game in 2014 _ sparked some fire in the Cavs with 6:06 left in the second quarter. He hit James in the groin as James streaked downcourt on a breakaway, sending James to the floor in pain. After a review, Stephenson was given a flagrant-1 foul.
James recovered to hit two free throws that started an 11-0 run. Green scored four points in the surge, J.R. Smith three, Rose two and James two points and two assists as the Cavs claimed a 51-49 lead.
But Collison, Young and Bogdanovic helped the Pacers regain the advantage at the break.
