Slap to the groin adds to pain as LeBron James's Cavaliers lose fourth in a row

Thaddeus Young scored 26 points, Darren Collison had 25 and the Indiana Pacers sent the Cleveland Cavaliers to their fourth straight loss, 124-107, on Wednesday night.

LeBron James had 33 points and 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough to keep Cleveland from losing for the fifth time in six games and falling to 3-5. The Cavaliers held a lengthy meeting before Tuesday’s practice to discuss their struggles, but the defending Eastern Conference champions have lost by a combined margin of 58 points in their losing streak.

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James was upbeat about the meeting, but the Cavaliers still have issues to work out, especially on the defensive end. Cleveland led 69-68 in the third quarter, but Indiana hit four straight three-pointers and built an eight-point lead. Indiana was 16 of 26 from three-point range. Cleveland had allowed the second most three-pointers in the league going into the game.

NBA Action (@NBA_Action23) Lance hit with a flagrant 1 with a groin shot to LeBron James pic.twitter.com/5zku2Ifxfs

There was pain for James to add to the loss too. Lance Stephenson was assessed a flagrant one in the second quarter for hitting the four-time MVP in the groin as he drove to the basket. James spent several seconds on the baseline hunched over in pain before walking to the bench while the officials looked at the replay. James made both free throws, sparking an 11-0 run.

Derrick Rose had 19 points while Kevin Love had 13 points and 13 rebounds. Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson left the game in the second quarter with a strained left calf and didn’t return.