At the Buzzer: R2G5 — Pacers 114, Cavs 105 | Back to the Eastern Conference Finals
The Pacers erased a 19-point deficit, led for the majority of the second half and polished off the semi-final series with a Game 5 win in Cleveland. They'll face New York or Boston next.
One night after the Knicks beat the Celtics to take a 3-1 series lead in that semifinal, the Pacers were back on the road looking to become the first team to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Cavs wouldn’t make it easy. They’re back at home, backs against the wall and with their season on the line.
The game officials were James Capers, Ben Taylor, Mark Lindsay, JB DeRosa (alternate).
Donovan Mitchell underwent an MRI Monday on his left ankle sprain. He was listed as questionable for the game, then played after being a game-time decision. But it was certainly something to watch throughout the game.
Reserve Sam Merrill was a late scratch due to a neck strain.
The TNT announcing crew: Spero Dedes, Greg Anthony, Jared Greenberg.
Sports books favored the Cavs by 7.5 points. The Pacers — the No. 4 seed — were the underdog in all five games against the top seed in the East.
Watch my live postgame show in the media player below:
🏀How it happened: Andrew Nembhard scored a layup to get the game started after the Pacers got a stop — but it was the Cavs who played with an edge early. No surprise, given that their season was quite literally on the line. It was a must-win game for the home team.
Cavs big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen made a strong early impression after being held to a combined 12 points and seven rebounds in Game 4. They accounted for 10 of the Cavs’ first 13 points and finished with 33 points and 15 rebounds combined, led by Mobley’s 24.
Free throws were an early story as Donovan Mitchell, who was questionable coming in, visited the line frequently. The Pacers were called for 10 fouls in the first quarter compared to the Cavs’ four, but the whistle often favors the harder-playing team. The Cavs led by 12 after the first.
By the second period, shots were beginning to fall for the Pacers. After a 1-for-10 start from outside, they made six of their next seven and used a 24-8 run to get within three points. The Cavs’ outside shooting woes persisted (1/10), and by this point, it was clear that guard Darius Garland (left great big toe injury) would not be very effective. He looked stiff and uncomfortable. The Cavs tightened their rotation to eight — and Ty Jerome was left out of that group.
The Pacers went into halftime trailing by just four, 56–52.
After being outscored by 20 points in the paint in the first half, the Pacers flipped the script and had a 30–16 advantage in the second half. They overcame a 7–0 burst by the Cavs out of the locker room, then held them scoreless for more than seven minutes. During that stretch, the Pacers hit three straight 3s and used the long ball to make up for the difference inside. Mitchell also returned to the locker room briefly but did come back into the game.
In all, it was a special 24–5 Pacers run that led to their largest lead of the game, 80–68. They carried a nine-point lead into the fourth — needing just 12 solid minutes to put away the Cavs.
And they did.