The Indiana Pacers pulled off a shocking late comeback to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-119 in Sport 2 of their NBA playoff sequence on Tuesday night time, leaving the top-seeded Cavs in deep trouble.
Regardless of holding a seven-point lead with simply 48 seconds left, the Cavaliers collapsed as Indiana scored the ultimate eight factors of the sport to steal the win. The sequence now strikes to Indianapolis with the Pacers holding a 2-0 lead, and the Cavaliers battling key accidents.
Cleveland had been already lacking All-Stars Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, together with key bench participant De’Andre Hunter — and their availability for Sport 3 stays unsure.
Pacers Make Historical past with Grit and Battle
Groups main by seven factors within the remaining 48 seconds of a playoff sport had gained 1,679 occasions and misplaced simply twice earlier than Tuesday. Remarkably, the Pacers now personal two of these uncommon wins, the opposite coming simply final week towards Milwaukee.
Indiana as soon as once more confirmed resilience below strain, with Aaron Nesmith taking part in a key function. The 25-year-old scored a playoff career-high 23 factors, together with 15 within the second half. His putback dunk and drawn offensive foul within the closing seconds helped spark Indiana’s profitable run.
Mitchell Shines – However It’s Not Sufficient
Donovan Mitchell was sensible for Cleveland, scoring 48 factors and offering 9 assists. He dominated within the paint and hit 17 of 21 free throws, attempting to hold his injury-hit staff. However regardless of his efforts, Cleveland couldn’t maintain on within the remaining moments.
This defeat provides extra strain on Mitchell, who has now reached the second spherical 4 occasions in his profession however has by no means superior additional. With the Cavaliers down 0-2 and combating accidents, historical past could repeat itself.
Errors Value Cleveland
Max Strus had a powerful sport with 23 factors, however his second-half efficiency faltered. His most expensive error got here with 24.7 seconds remaining — a careless inbound cross that was simply stolen by Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard, organising the Pacers’ game-winning surge.
Turnovers Nonetheless an Difficulty for Indiana
Regardless of the win, Indiana dedicated 18 turnovers — their greatest weak point to this point within the sequence. That they had 9 within the first quarter alone, falling behind by 17 factors early. If Cleveland are to discover a means again, punishing these errors will likely be key.
Sport 3 is ready for Friday in Indianapolis, the place the Pacers will attempt to lengthen their lead and the Cavaliers will hope to maintain their playoff desires alive.
