CLEVELAND – Kyrie Irving scored 22 points in his return after missing three games with a concussion, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 98-87 win Wednesday night over the reeling Indiana Pacers, who dropped their fifth straight.

Irving played for the first time since Feb. 7, when he banged his head following a collision in Miami. The 19-year-old rookie was only cleared to play in the morning by Cavs doctors, who followed the NBA’s new guidelines on head injuries during his recovery.

Irving made the Cavs more complete, but they’re still without center Anderson Varejao, sidelined indefinitely with a broken wrist. Semih Erden started and scored a career-high 18.

Darren Collison scored 18 and Roy Hibbert 17 for Indiana, which was without leading scorer Danny Granger because of a sprained ankle. Dahntay Jones had only three points as Granger’s replacement.

Irving said he felt fully recovered and was excited to be back on the floor.

And it showed.

The young star went 5 of 6 and scored 12 points in the first quarter, when he added two assists and two rebounds while helping the Cavs jump to an early double-digit lead. Irving’s legs were lively from the week off, and as much as it pained him to have to sit out, the No. 1 overall draft pick believes the rest helped.

“I kind of took it as a break for me, honestly,” Irving said. “It couldn’t have come at a better time. I’m going to be even busier next weekend with the All-Star (weekend). It’s good to get a break. ... I feel fresh.”

One of the NBA’s surprise teams to start the season, Indiana has gone 2-6 in its past eight games.

Granger, who sprained his ankle in the final seconds of the first quarter Tuesday against Miami, warmed up before the game but the Pacers announced less than an hour before tip-off that they would be without their leading scorer, who averages 18.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel was interested in seeing how his team would respond to a blowout by the Heat.

“We haven’t played well for a week,” Vogel said. “It’s not just (Tuesday’s) game.”

The Pacers, playing the second of three games in three nights, appeared gassed in the first half. They fell behind by 21 in the second quarter and ended the half with just two assists.