The Indiana Pacers were not going to let this one slip away.
The Pacers, after nearly blowing a double-digit halftime lead, held on late at Rocket Arena on Sunday to grab a 121-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. That gives Indiana a 1-0 lead in its semifinals series and takes the 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.
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The Pacers, after taking a slight lead into the break at halftime, jumped up early in the third and briefly looked like they were going to run away with the game after mounting a 12-point advantage. Donovan Mitchell, however, responded perfectly. Mitchell helped spark a 17-4 run, and dropped 12 of his 33 points in the third quarter alone, to cut the deficit back to just two points at the end of the period. They would’ve held the lead entering the fourth quarter, too, but Myles Turner hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Finally, after the two sides bounced back and forth a bit, the Pacers took off late in the period. Andrew Nembhard hit back-to-back 3-pointers that was part of a 13-2 run to finally give the Pacers space to work with again.
The Cavaliers’ offense largely shut down, too. Outside of Mitchell, who hit three layups in the final eight minutes of the game, the Cavaliers managed to make just two other field goals during that stretch — though the latter came from a Ty Jerome 3-pointer in garbage time when the game was already out of reach. The Pacers closed out the night on a 20-10 run to grab the nine-point win.
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Mitchell finished with five rebounds and four assists to go with his 33 points in the loss for Cleveland. He shot just 1-of-11 from behind the arc, too. While they didn’t get the win, Mitchell still made 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 added 21 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, and Jerome added 21 points off the bench. Cleveland went just 9-of-38 from the 3-point line as a team.
The Cavaliers were without Darius Garland for Game 1 on Sunday, too. Garland was ruled out just before the game tipped off due to a sprained left toe that’s now kept him out for three straight games. While there is no structural damage, Garland is dealing with significant swelling and pain. He’s considered day-to-day.
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Nembhard led the Pacers with 23 points and six assists in the win while shooting 5-of-6 from behind the arc. Haliburton added 22 points and 13 rebounds. All five of the Pacers’ starters hit double figures, and hey shot better than 52% from both the field and the 3-point line.
Game 2 of the series is set for Tuesday night in Cleveland. If the Cavaliers can’t bounce back right away, they could be looking at yet another early postseason exit after what’s been their best season in more than a decade.
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