Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining, as the Indiana Pacers scored the final eight points in 47.9 seconds to stun the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 120-119 on Tuesday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinals series.
Haliburton scored 11 of his 19 points in the last 12 minutes. After Andrew Nembhard stole an inbounds pass from Max Strus with 27.5 seconds left, Haliburton was fouled. He made the first free throw, missed the second, grabbed the offensive rebound, and then drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key. “I was ticked I missed the layup, so I backed it out and knocked it down,” Haliburton said. “It’s the NBA—crazier things have happened.”
Haliburton, who had 22 points in Game 1 (including a go-ahead 3-pointer), continued his clutch play. Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith led the No. 4 seed Pacers with 23 points each. It’s the first time since 1994 that the Pacers have won the first two games of a playoff series on the road.
Donovan Mitchell scored 48 points for Cleveland, who were missing three key players: Evan Mobley (ankle), De’Andre Hunter (thumb), and Darius Garland (toe). Jarrett Allen added 22 points and 12 rebounds but lamented, “We outplayed them most of the game, but we had mental lapses at the end.” Cleveland led 117-110 with 1:06 remaining, but two turnovers and offensive rebounds by the Pacers turned the tide. Game 3 is Friday in Indianapolis.
