Indiana Pacers improve to 2-0 with gutsy road win over Cleveland Cavaliers
The Indiana Pacers had their first Central Division and road game of the 2023-24 season on Saturday night as they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs were on the second night of a back-to-back, and they were without Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Donovan Mitchell.
Early in the game, those absences didn't matter. After Indiana took a 3-2 lead, Cleveland responded with an 8-0 run. They were getting to the rim with ease and scoring on every possession. That led to an early timeout for the blue and gold.
It didn't help too much. The Pacers stabilized, but they were down by nine points three minutes later. Myles Turner was scoring for the blue and gold early, but others were struggling.
Indiana responded with earlier-than-usual substitutions. Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and Buddy Hield all came in. But it didn't help, Caris LeVert was unstoppable — he had 19 points in the first seven minutes of action — and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle took a timeout down 15.
This time, the Pacers were able to turn the tide somewhat. The bench group, who was playing alongside Haliburton, finally got some easy buckets and cooled off LeVert. Over the next few minutes, that lineup cut the lead down to five.
At the end of the first quarter, the Cavs' lead was at six points. Thanks to some nice plays from Aaron Nesmith, who had 10 points after one frame, the deficit was manageable for Indiana.
Nesmith, and Jalen Smith, kept the momentum going early in the second frame. The story was similar to the Pacers first game. They started slow then before coming back and beating Washington. This game looked similar.
With 9:40 to go in the second quarter, the Pacers reclaimed the lead via a Nesmith three. It did not take them long to erase a 15-point deficit.
Indiana didn't let off the gas and got their lead as high as eight. Once they settled in after their slow start, the game looked smooth. The Pacers found attacking angles and had a better defensive plan.
Altogether, that led to an 11-point halftime lead. Nesmith (17 points) and Smith (10) were the standout scorers in the first half.
The second half opened similarly to the first half. Cleveland was assertive, and their starters were better than Indiana's early in the frame. The Pacers weren't as bad as they were early, though, and they led by six halfway through the third period.
That's when substitutions happened. And like in the first half, they benefited the blue and gold. The Pacers got their lead back up to 10 before the final portion of the quarter.
Cleveland hit a few shots in the last moments of the frame, and the Pacers lead was 91-87 after three. Nesmith had 21 points at that point, and four other members of the blue and gold were in double figures.
12 minutes remained, and Indiana had a small cushion. The Cavs made that cushion as small as possible early in the final quarter, but the Pacers had answers. They made several timely shots to expand their lead and hit 100 points before Cleveland.
The home team had been cutting into the lead slowly for a while, but they couldn't take it back. Every time they would make a big play to trim into the lead, the Pacers had an answer. Between a Hield three, a Nesmith dunk, or a tough Haliburton layup, the blue and gold kept finding ways to stay ahead.
With five minutes to go, the Pacers led by seven. They had a chance to grab a nice road win, but they needed to execute.
A quick 5-0 run for the Cavs was the opposite of what they needed, but they got another timely shot, this time from Tyrese Haliburton. The following possession, Haliburton hit another three. With the Pacers hanging on for dear life, their star stepped up.
One more triple from the All-Star gave Indiana a 10-point lead with 2:44 to go, and some fans headed for the exits. His solo stretch was massive in deciding the game.
The Pacers went on to win 125-113. Haliburton finished with 21 points, including 11 in the fourth. Nesmith had a team-high 26 points, which was his best career scoring game. Myles Turner added 20 points and 12 boards.
Indiana is now 2-0 and hosts the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
- Exclusive: Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker joins Under Armour: 'It means the world'. CLICK HERE.
- Source: Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle agrees to contract extension. CLICK HERE.
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- Indiana Pacers crush Washington Wizards to open 2023-24 campaign. CLICK HERE.
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