The Pacers rocked and rolled in Cleveland stealing Game 1.
The battled-tested Indiana Pacers were not going to let this hard-fought game slip through their fingers. The Pacers, after nearly blowing an eight-point halftime lead, held on late at Rocket Arena on Sunday to grab a 121-112 victory over the No. 1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. That gives Indiana a 1-0 lead in their semifinals series and takes the homecourt advantage away from the top seed in the Eastern Conference. It also marks the first loss for the Cavaliers this postseason after they swept the Miami Heat in the first round. They had not played a game in eight days.
Tyrese Haliburton made a go-ahead 3 midway through the fourth quarter that sparked a decisive burst for the Pacers, He also made crucial plays on the defensive end, blocking a 3-point attempt by Max Strus with 2:12 left and converting it into a layup for a 10-point lead.
The Pacers raced out early in the second half and briefly looked like they were going to run away with the game after mounting a 12-point advantage. Donovan ‘Spida’ Mitchell, however, responded like a leader does. Mitchell helped spark a 17-4 run and dropped 12 of his game-high 33 points in the third quarter alone, to slice the deficit back to just two points, 92-90, at the end of the frame. They would have held the lead going into the fourth quarter by one, but Myles Turner had other ideas, hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Finally, after the two sides bounced back and forth like a ping pong ball, the Pacers took control late in the period. Andrew Nembhard knocked down back-to-back triples that was the springboard of a 13-2 run to finally give the Pacers some breathing room to work with.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt also paid off that the Cavaliers’ offense slowed down to a snail’s pace. Outside of Mitchell, who penetrated to the hole, making three layups in the final eight minutes of the game, the Cavaliers managed to convert just two other field goals during that stretch, though the latter came from a Ty Jerome 3-pointer in mop up duty when the game was already decided. The Pacers closed out the evening on a 20-10 run to grab the nine-point win.
“We weathered the storm,” Haliburton said. “I mean, they’re the number one team in the conference. They’ve got an unbelievable crowd. So, they got into it and were willing their way back into the game. We just had to find a way to grow the lead.
“We did it by getting stops, getting out running and just playing Pacers basketball.”
Mitchell finished with five rebounds and four assists to go with 33 points in the loss for the Cavaliers. A player that is usually money from 3-point range was way off on Sunday. He shot just 1-of-11 from behind the arc. While they did not come away with the win, Mitchell still made personal NBA history on Sunday. His outing marked his eighth consecutive Game 1 with at least 30 points, which set a new league record previously held by Michael Jordan.
Evan Mobley had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, and Jerome added 21 points off the bench. The Cavaliers went just 9-of-38 from distance as a team.
The Cavaliers were without Darius Garland for Game 1 on Sunday. Garland was ruled out just before the game tipped off due to a sprained left toe that has now kept him out for three straight games. While there is no structural damage, Garland is dealing with significant swelling and pain. He is considered day-to-day. But there is optimism that he may return as early as Tuesday.
Nembhard led the Pacers with 23 points and six dimes in the win while shooting 5-of-6 from behind the arc. Haliburton resembled a modern-day John Stockton, adding 22 points and 13 assists. All five of the Pacers’ starters hit double figures, and they shot better than 52% from both the field and the 3-point line.
“I thought we did a great job of starting the game the right way,” said Haliburton, who delivered the game-winner in the 119-118 overtime triumph that clinched the Pacers’ first-round victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Game 2 of the series is set for Tuesday night in Cleveland. If the Cavaliers cannot bounce back right away, they could be staring at another early postseason exit after what has been their best season in more than a decade.
