Tyrese Haliburton played a pivotal role in leading the Indiana Pacers to a 121-112 victory over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Haliburton scored 22 points, including a crucial go-ahead 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, recorded 13 assists, and made key defensive plays. Despite being labeled the NBA’s most overrated player in a recent anonymous survey, Haliburton’s performance proved otherwise.
“We’re definitely the underdogs, but we’re focusing on what we can control,” said Haliburton. “This gives us a lot of momentum, but Cleveland is the best team in the conference. They don’t lose often.”
Haliburton wasn’t perfect, though. Despite the Pacers hitting 19 of 36 three-pointers as a team, he only made 2 of 6 from beyond the arc. However, his second 3-pointer proved to be the game-changer. After the Cavs briefly took a 102-101 lead on a Max Strus free throw, Haliburton’s 3-pointer sparked a 15-4 run that helped the Pacers pull away.
Andrew Nembhard also played a big part in the win, scoring 23 points, including two key 3-pointers during that crucial stretch. “We had an exceptionally good shooting night, but the key was our aggression,” said Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle. “We need to stay in attack mode to beat a team like this.”
All five Pacers starters finished with double-digit points. Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam each had 17 points. Haliburton’s defense was also impressive—he blocked a 3-point attempt by Strus with 2:12 left and turned it into a layup, pushing the Pacers’ lead to 10. His assists also contributed to 34 points, including eight 3-pointers.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 33 points and set a new NBA playoff record by scoring 30 or more points in his eighth consecutive series opener, surpassing Michael Jordan. Evan Mobley added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have been without point guard Darius Garland due to a sprained left big toe.
Cleveland struggled to keep up with Indiana’s fast pace and was hampered by poor shooting from beyond the arc. The Cavaliers, who ranked second in the league during the regular season for 3-pointers made, finished 9 of 38, a 23.7% shooting rate that was their second-worst of the season. Mitchell, in particular, struggled, going 1 of 11 from 3-point range.
“We missed a lot of good looks, and when you miss shots, that’s when they get going in transition,” Mitchell said. “When shots aren’t falling, you have to find a way to respond. But when a team like this runs, it’s tough.”
Cleveland had dominated its first-round series against the Miami Heat, sweeping them and securing a massive 55-point win in Game 4. However, Coach Kenny Atkinson was concerned about Indiana’s pace coming into the series and hopes to adjust the flow in Game 2. “We didn’t have the rhythm tonight. We’ll move forward and adjust,” Atkinson said. “The positive is we got used to their style of play. We’ll work on improving our 3-point shooting.”
Indiana built a 12-point lead in the third quarter, and despite Cleveland’s fourth-quarter rally to take the lead, the Pacers held firm and closed out the game strong. “We did a great job weathering their run,” Haliburton said. “When the ‘Cavalanche’ came, we handled it well.”
