Haliburton Blitz Sends Cavs Crashing as Pacers Advance

Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and hit six threes to lead the Indiana Pacers past Cleveland 114-105 on Tuesday, sealing a 4-1 series win and dumping the top-seeded Cavaliers out of the playoffs.

Pascal Siakam added 21 points, while Aaron Nesmith posted a double-double as the Pacers erased a 19-point first-half deficit and stormed into the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year.

The Cavs led 56-52 at halftime but collapsed after Haliburton’s 15-point second quarter flipped momentum.

The Pacers dominated the third, and although Donovan Mitchell’s late surge cut the lead to one, Indiana closed strong as the Cavs struggled from deep, shooting just 9-of-35 from three.

“They deserved it,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We didn’t hit the level we needed.”

Indiana now awaits either the Knicks or Celtics. New York leads that series 3-1.