At the Buzzer: R2G3 — Cavs 126, Pacers 104
You knew the Cavaliers would answer and they did Friday night, leading all 48 minutes in a game they were dominant on the glass and to loose balls. The Pacers have a 2-1 series lead.
The Pacers hit the Cavaliers not once, but twice this week. So the message heading into Game 3 in Indianapolis was simple: keep them down and seize control of the series.
Meanwhile, the Cavs were looking to rediscover their identity — and they had the reinforcements to do it. All-Stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, along with De’Andre Hunter, all went from questionable to game-time decisions to active.
This was a team that had a regular season for the record books, finishing with the best mark in the Eastern Conference. So the question was: what would the Pacers do about it?
The game officials were Marc Davis, Josh Tiven, Bill Kennedy, Brent Barnaky (alternate)
The ESPN announcing crew: Ryan Ruocco, Cory Alexander, Angel Gray.
Calendar note: IF the Pacers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, they will host Game 3 on Sunday, May 25 — same day as the Indianapolis 500. … Pacers & racers in Indy.
Sports books favored the Cavs by 5.5 points.
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🏀How it happened: The Cavaliers started fast, as expected. Down 2-0, they had to play with an edge — and with desperation. They jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never trailed over the full 48 minutes. Meanwhile, the Pacers were slow out of the gate — except for Myles Turner. He scored their first 10 points as they quickly fell behind 25-10. Then Bennedict Mathurin checked in and provided a spark, scoring eight points in four minutes. Reserve guard Ben Sheppard knocked down a 3-pointer to close the quarter, so despite a rough start, it was all tied at 32 after one. No ground lost.
The Cavaliers’ early aggression stood out. They crashed the glass — especially on the offensive end — hustled everywhere, and seemingly won all the 50-50 balls.
The second quarter was rough for the Pacers, as the Cavs’ lead ballooned to 21 points during a 25-4 run. Indiana managed just one field goal over a six-minute stretch while struggling against Cleveland’s disruptive 3-2 zone. (The Cavs saw on film the 2-3 zone wasn’t nearly as effective and so they shifted to a 3-2 zone to match the Pacers’ 5-out scheme.) And because the Pacers couldn’t get stops, they were unable to get out in transition and play their style.
