Cleveland rocks: Aussie duo helps Cavs clip Pacers

• Giddey reveals ultimate starting five
• Johnny Furphy expected to return before Christmas
• Centre of attention: NBA's defensive trend on Dyson Daniels

The Cleveland Cavaliers have recorded some big wins with several stars on the sidelines with injury, and we're putting it down to the impact of our own Aussie dynamic duo in Tyrese Proctor and Luke Travers.

Proctor and Travers once again took advantage of more opportunity to help the Cavaliers record their 13th win of the season against last year's runners-up, the Indiana Pacers.

Both are on different paths in their careers, Proctor drafted 45th overall and signing a four-year deal with the Cavaliers, while Travers is on his second two-way deal - typically the longest the NBA franchise keep people on that type of deal for.

But both have played significant roles for Kenny Atkinson's side with Cleveland going through an injury-riddled start to the 2025-26 season. The impact and development of talents, such as Proctor and Travers, has helped the Cavaliers still boast an impressive 13-9 record despite missing several of their stars for portions of the season to date.

NBA BOX SCORE: Indiana Pacers vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Tyrese Proctor made the most of the extra opportunity presented him by the Cleveland Cavaliers missing the likes of Darius Garland, Lonzo Ball and more as he played a starring role off the bench to help his team to a 135-119 win over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Proctor had 12 points in 22 minutes, hitting 3-from-7 from the three-point line, grabbing two rebounds and taking one steal as well in his time. He was a plus-seven in his reserve role.

Luke Travers played nine minutes and had two points, three rebounds and one assist.

The Cavaliers, who were regarded as an Eastern Conference championship contender heading into the season, sit sixth on the ladder with a 13-9 record but have had an injury-riddled first 22 games.

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In other 'Aussies in the NBA' news, Giddey and the Bulls continued their slide, Dyson Daniels almost led the Atlanta Hawks to an upset win and other Australians try and battle their way back from injury.

NBA BOX SCORE: Orlando Magic vs Chicago Bulls

Josh Giddey once again put up impressive numbers but the Chicago Bulls fell to their fourth straight loss after a 125-120 loss to Eastern Conference rivals, the Orlando Magic, at the Kia Center.

Giddey, who is playing in the backcourt without Coby White, had 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the defeat and also shot the three at 50%, going 3-from-6 from distance. But the Boomers star struggled to take care of the ball, recording eight turnovers against a suffocating Magic defence.

Aussie rookie Lachlan Olbrich featured again for the Bulls, playing 12 minutes for four rebounds and two assists.

After five wins to start the 2025-26 season, the Bulls now sit 10th with a 9-11 record.

NBA BOX SCORE: Brooklyn Nets vs Charlotte Hornets

Josh Green is still sidelined with a shoulder injury he had surgery for during the offseason. The struggling Hornets lost 116-103 to the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center with Michael Porter Jr exploding for 35 points.

NBA BOX SCORE: Detroit Pistons vs Atlanta Hawks

Following on from an impressive all-round offensive game in a double overtime win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Aussie guard Dyson Daniels once again put up stats across the board and it was almost enough to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a win over the Detroit Pistons freight train.

Daniels had 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals in 37 minutes but the Hawks lost 99-98 to the No.1 team in the Eastern Conference at Little Caesars Arena.

Although Daniels had an off-night from the field, going 5-from-14 and 0-from-2 from distance, he still lead the team in plus-minus with Atlanta's bench lacking production in the defeat.

NBA BOX SCORE: Denver Nuggets vs Dallas Mavericks

Aussie guard Dante Exum is sidelined for the rest of the season for the Dallas Mavericks after complications arising from a knee procedure earlier this year. But the Mavericks recorded their best win of the season, beating Western Conference contenders, the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.