CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers went back to their old starting lineup for Friday night's game against the Indiana Pacers. Well, four of the the five starters from last season anyway. With Kyrie Irving gone, there's nothing the Cavs can do about that final starting spot.

With each player in a familiar and more comfortable role, the Cavs turned in an admirable defensive performance, much better than recent head-scratchers.

"I think Kevin (Love) and Tristan (Thompson) worked really good together on the defensive end pulling the trigger big-big," head coach Ty Lue said following the 115-108 win. "I thought we were able to blitz and then get a body on the big and Kevin would rotate to the opposite big.

"They did a good job defensively. I thought they did a good job of playing all the way through. They hit some shots at the end of the shot clock, which was tough. But overall I have to look at the tape but I thought we did a good job defensively."

Prior to Friday, the Cavs were relying on Love as the last line. It put immense pressure on the perimeter defense, which hadn't been nearly good enough. Isaiah Thomas and JR Smith were struggling at the point of attack. LeBron James' intensity varied based on how he felt on a given night. Jae Crowder, hyped as a rugged 3-and-D player, wasn't living up to that.

Add in Cleveland's lack of a true rim protector and overall size in the frontcourt and it was a formula for countless breakdowns, finger-pointing and a lack of trust. As the Cavs tumbled further down the defensive rankings, more frustration started to build.

Against Indiana, it was better. Not perfect. But better. The Cavs still had a handful of those shrugged-shoulder moments. Indiana scored 108 points, had two 30-point quarters and 46 points in the paint. The Pacers shot better than 47 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from 3-point range.

But given the Cavs entered the night with the league's worst defensive rating, any bit of progress is something to savor. Lue isn't going to be picky at this point. They needed something, anything to halt the four-game losing skid.

All in all, Cleveland finished Friday with a defensive rating of 104.0, nearly five points per 100 possessions below their horrendous season mark.

The Pacers couldn't attack the Thomas-Love combination in the pick-and-roll, something teams have been feasting on lately. With Thompson in Love's old spot, he was the player getting put through a series of screens, much more equipped to stymie those possessions. Thompson, who helped finish defensive trips, pulling down seven boards on that end and three more on the offensive side, finished with the third-best net rating, behind Smith and Derrick Rose, who provided a terrific lift off the bench.

Smith, who has taken an enormous step back on the defensive end, earned praise for his feistiness against All-Star Victor Oladipo.

"JR was huge," Lue said. "I thought defensively he was good. I thought he came out looking for his shot. Not trying to put the ball on the floor, but do what you do. And he can shoot the basketball. So his points and his 3s tonight was a big lift."

His shooting will probably come and go, especially in a lesser offensive role after Thomas' return. But the Cavs need him engaged on defense. That's part of the reason he's still in the starting lineup.

Of all the things that happened Friday -- and not all of them good -- the Cavaliers holding the Pacers to four points in the final two minutes (one basket coming at the very end when the Cavs had the game in hand) was a positive step.

"We just felt like whatever happened, as long as we got stops, we would be able to win the game," Love said. "Just so many times where we're getting those turnovers and we weren't able to get back and they were able to convert in transition so that was tough for us. But tomorrow we will be able to clean some stuff up, watch another film session and we did a lot of good things. We just need to clean up and be less careless with the ball."

It's a start. But there's still a long way to go.