Tyrese Haliburton hit a cold-blooded step-back three with 1.1 seconds remaining to cap a stunning 120-119 comeback win for the Indiana Pacers over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semi-final on Tuesday night.
Down by 20 points in the third quarter and facing a vintage 48-point explosion from Donovan Mitchell, the Pacers clawed their way back to silence the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd.
The Cavs, without three starters, seemed to have the game in hand after Max Strus buried a clutch triple to make it 117-110 with just over a minute to go.
But Indiana closed with a 10-2 burst, punctuated by Haliburton’s ice-cold 24-footer to break Cleveland hearts and send the series to Indianapolis with a commanding 2-0 advantage.
“We played from behind the whole game,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “But in the fourth quarter we just hung in there. This group believes.”
Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner led the Pacers with 23 points apiece, while Haliburton added 19. Six Pacers finished in double figures.
Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson blamed fatigue. “We ran out of gas,” he said. “And with fatigue comes poor decisions. That was part of the collapse.”
Game 3 is set for Friday in Indiana.
Curry Injured as Warriors Edge Timberwolves in Game 1
Golden State overcame a hostile Target Center and a Steph Curry injury scare to grind out a 99-88 win over Minnesota in their Western Conference semi-final opener.
Buddy Hield drained five threes en route to 24 points, and Jimmy Butler added 20 as the Warriors outshot the Timberwolves from deep, hitting 18-of-42 from long range. Minnesota managed just 5-of-29.
The night, however, took a dark turn for Golden State when Curry exited in the second quarter clutching his left hamstring. He did not return.
“We want Steph back – it’s hard playing without that man,” Butler said postgame.
Curry is set for an MRI on Wednesday, and coach Steve Kerr admitted, “It’s hard to imagine he plays Thursday.”
Draymond Green added 18 points in a vintage defensive effort for the Warriors. Game 2 is Thursday in Minneapolis.
