Rick Carlisle Gives Honest Assessment of Pacers' Performance in Game 3 Loss to Cavs

Indiana dropped Game 3 at home and leads Cleveland 2–1 in their second-round series.

Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle reacts during a timeout against the Cleveland Cavaliers / David Richard-Imagn Images

A home team has yet to win a game in the Eastern Conference semifinals series between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers grabbed their first win of the series, trimming the Pacers' lead to 2–1 Friday night as guard Darius Garland, forward Evan Mobley and forward De'Andre Hunter all returned to the lineup.

Cleveland led wire-to-wire, including a 21-point lead it took into halftime. Indiana trimmed the Cavaliers' lead to 11 points early in the fourth quarter, but the Pacers were unable to make the comeback amid a 43-point performance from Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell.

Game 3 was a must-win for the Cavaliers as they avoided a 3-0 hole in the series. Following Cleveland's 126–104 victory, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle admitted his squad wasn't ready for the opportunity to take complete control of the series.

"It was a very poor effort at the beginning of the game, for too many parts of the game. It's on all of us," Carlisle said to reporters postgame via WISH-TV in Indianapolis. "We all own it. Pretty clearly, I didn't have these guys ready for this. So I take responsibility for that. (Guard Tyrese Haliburton) had a rough game, I got to do more to get him involved."

Haliburton scored just four points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field. He recorded five assists on the night. Forward Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 18 points. In addition to the 43 points, Mitchell had nine rebounds and five assists. It's the second straight game where he's reached 40 points.

Game 4 tips Sunday, May 11 at 8 p.m. ET where Mitchell and the Cavaliers have a shot to even the series.

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