The Indiana Pacers delivered a statement win on Sunday night, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 121–112 on the road to seize a 1–0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Indiana jumped out to an early 11-point lead in the first quarter and never trailed for long, despite a determined Cleveland comeback midway through the second half. After Aaron Nesmith’s third-quarter three-pointer pushed the Pacers ahead by 12, the Cavaliers rallied behind Donovan Mitchell to briefly take the lead. But Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton led a decisive 20–10 run in the closing minutes, sinking a clutch three-pointer and recording a key block to seal the win.
Haliburton posted a standout performance, finishing with 22 points, 13 assists, three rebounds, three blocks, and a steal. Six Pacers players scored in double figures, including Andrew Nembhard, who led the team with 23 points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
“We’re definitely the heavy underdog,” Haliburton said. “But we’re trying to control what we can. This gives us a lot of momentum for sure.”
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle credited the team’s mindset. “The key word is aggression,” Carlisle said. “We’ve got to be in attack mode to beat this team.”
Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 33 points, becoming the first player in NBA history to score at least 30 in eight consecutive playoff series openers, surpassing Michael Jordan’s previous record. However, Mitchell struggled from long range, making just one of 11 three-point attempts as the Cavaliers finished 9-of-38 from deep.
Evan Mobley contributed 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals, while Ty Jerome added 21 points off the bench. The Cavaliers were again without Darius Garland, who missed his third consecutive game with a toe injury.
Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night in Cleveland.
Warriors Eliminate Rockets in Game 7
In the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors advanced to the semifinals with a 103–89 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 7, led by a huge fourth-quarter surge from Steph Curry.
Curry scored 14 of his 22 points in the final period, but it was Buddy Hield who stole the spotlight, finishing with 33 points on a near-flawless 12-of-15 shooting night, including 9-of-11 from three-point range. Hield’s nine threes tied the NBA record for most in a Game 7.
The Warriors became just the seventh No. 7 seed in league history to reach the conference semifinals.
Curry also contributed 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks. Jimmy Butler added 20 points, eight boards, and seven assists. Houston’s Fred VanVleet, who had starred in Games 5 and 6, was limited to 17 points on a tough shooting night.
Golden State will now await the winner of the Denver-Dallas series.
