Cavaliers Vs Pacers

The Indiana Pacers secured a 121–112 victory over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. This win not only gives Indiana a 1–0 lead in the series but also shifts the home-court advantage in their favor. It marks Cleveland's first loss of the postseason, following their first-round sweep of the Miami Heat.

Indiana's offense was firing on all cylinders, with all five starters scoring in double digits. Andrew Nembhard led the team with 23 points, hitting 5 of 6 from three-point range. Tyrese Haliburton contributed a double-double, tallying 22 points and 13 assists, along with 3 blocks. Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith each added 17 points, while Myles Turner recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds .

The Pacers built a six-point lead by halftime and extended it to 12 early in the third quarter. However, Donovan Mitchell spearheaded a Cavaliers comeback with a 17–4 run, scoring 12 points in the third quarter to narrow the gap to two points by the end of the period. Despite this surge, a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Myles Turner ensured Indiana maintained the lead heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Indiana outscored Cleveland 20–10 in the closing minutes to seal the win. The Pacers' three-point shooting was a significant factor, as they connected on 19 of 36 attempts (52.8%), while the Cavaliers struggled, making just 9 of 38 (23.7%) .

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 33 points, breaking Michael Jordan's record by scoring over 30 points in his eighth consecutive playoff series opener . However, he struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only 1 of 11 three-point attempts. Evan Mobley, recently named Defensive Player of the Year, added 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers were without All-Star guard Darius Garland, who missed his third straight playoff game due to a sprained left big toe .