Indiana Pacers take down Cleveland Cavaliers for first In-Season Tournament win
The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers battled in their first-ever NBA In-Season tournament game on Friday night in Indianapolis. There was a new court and new uniforms for the blue and gold.
The Pacers started off strong, taking a 17-9 lead after just four minutes. They looked great, and Bruce Brown had seven early points. He was comfortable attacking, and the blue and gold were clearly happy to have Tyrese Haliburton back in the lineup next to him.
Cleveland took a timeout to talk things over, but they weren't able to surge right away. Once substitutions were made, though, the Cavs started to go on a little run. They have three All-Stars and can stagger them so one is always on the floor — that's difficult for Indiana to deal with.
But some nice plays from Buddy Hield helped Indiana steady the ship, and they maintained their big lead to close the quarter. It was 36-26 Pacers after one frame, and Hield led the way with eight points.
Indiana kept their momentum into the early portions of the second quarter. They were using a group they hadn't deployed yet this season with Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Hield, Aaron Nesmith, and Jalen Smith, and the group was doing well.
The Pacers subbed in some starters while holding a 43-32 lead. They maintained a similar lead for the next few minutes, but Indiana had a mini burst with slightly over 3:30 to go in the second quarter. A technical foul from Cleveland guard Darius Garland gave the blue and gold a free point, which expanded the lead to 13.
The Pacers kept their foot on the gas to close the half. Myles Turner was having an excellent second quarter — he couldn't miss and was defending incredibly well. That gave Indiana a huge advantage against a big Cavs team.
At halftime, the blue and gold led 70-53. They dominated in the first half, and Turner had 22 points on just eight shots. He was terrific.
The second half opened with Cleveland looking like the stronger team. After four-and-a-half minutes, the Cavs had already cut the lead under 10 at 74-65. The road team scored 12 quick points against a crumbling Pacers defense.
Indiana took a timeout to stop the bleeding, but it didn't help. The Cavs kept scoring, and they trimmed the deficit down as low as two.
Clinging to their smaller advantage, Indiana turned to their bench again. That group has been strong this season, and they were in the first half. They needed to play well again.
They did just enough to hold the lead into the fourth quarter, but it wasn't pretty. Cleveland retook the lead, but Indiana grabbed it back before the frame ended. Indiana was ahead 88-87 with 12 minutes to go. Their 17-point halftime advantage was gone fast.
Winning time was fitting for the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament game. The first moments of the fourth quarter were going to be important in setting the tone for the stretch run.
After five minutes of the final frame, it was the Cavs who were up. The lead was 102-100, so it was still close, but the road team did well to get ahead in the early portion of the final minutes.
The Pacers responded with about five minutes to go. Just as it looked like the game was slipping out of their hands, Indiana went on a 7-0 run to take a three-point lead. Clutch time was going to decide this one.
It was a back-and-forth ending, which was good for the Pacers as they had the lead. But the Cavs were playing slightly better. With one minute to go, Indiana was up by one.
Tyrese Haliburton hit a massive fadeaway jumper over Jarrett Allen with 16.5 seconds to go, and then extended Indiana's lead to three. Despite having a bumpy game up to that point, Haliburton delivered when it mattered.
The Pacers needed one more stop, and they got it. Myles Turner blocked a shot and Caris LeVert missed a three. The Pacers had the ball with under eight seconds left and a three-point lead.
Haliburton hit his free throws and did enough to get the Pacers across the finish line. Despite a dreadful third quarter, the Pacers held on to win 121-116.
Myles Turner led the way with 27 points and nine rebounds. Bruce Brown finished with 19 points and seven boards. Haliburton had 18 points and 13 assists.
The Pacers are 3-2 on the season and 1-0 during In-Season tournament play. Their next game is tomorrow night against the Charlotte Hornets.
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