Tyrese Haliburton silenced his critics with a stellar performance, leading the Indiana Pacers to a shocking 121-112 victory over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday night. The dynamic point guard scored 22 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, dished out 13 assists, and made critical defensive plays to secure the upset.
“We’re definitely the underdog, but we’re trying to control what we can,” said Haliburton, recently voted the NBA’s most overrated player in an anonymous Athletic poll. “This gives us momentum, but this is the best team in our conference.” Despite a 2/6 night from beyond the arc, Haliburton’s clutch triple sparked a 15-4 run after Max Strus’ free throw gave Cleveland a 102-101 lead.
Andrew Nembhard led Indiana with 23 points, hitting two of his five 3-pointers in the decisive stretch. “Aggression was the key,” said coach Rick Carlisle. All five Pacers starters scored in double digits, with Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam each adding 17. Indiana shot 19/36 from three, while Haliburton’s assists generated 34 points, including eight triples. Defensively, he blocked a Strus 3-pointer and converted it into a layup, pushing the lead to 10.
Donovan Mitchell paced Cleveland with 33 points, breaking Michael Jordan’s playoff record with his eighth straight 30-point series opener. Evan Mobley had 20 points and 10 rebounds, but the Cavs, missing Darius Garland (toe injury), struggled with a 9/38 (23.7%) 3-point performance. “We missed good looks, and that fueled their transition,” said Mitchell (1/11 from three).
After sweeping Miami, the Cavs couldn’t match Indiana’s pace. Coach Kenny Atkinson aims to regain control in Game 2 on Tuesday. “We didn’t have the rhythm. We’ll adjust,” he said. Haliburton praised his team’s resilience: “When the ‘Cavalanche’ came, we weathered it well.” The Pacers head into Game 2 with momentum.
