The Cavaliers were up almost all of Game 2 against the Pacers, building a 20-point first-quarter lead and trying to hold on for dear life down the stretch. Unfortunately for the shorthanded Cavs, they couldn't hold on for one second more.
The Pacers gradually chipped away at the Cavaliers' lead, seemingly buying their time before going on a run. Indiana was down 32-15 at the end of the first quarter but pulled off an improbable 120-119 comeback win.
Cleveland was down Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De'Andre Hunter, so there was rightful concern for how they would play down the stretch of the game, missing three big pieces.
The injuries themselves weren't specifically to blame, but they certainly contributed to the outcome. A questionable late timeout, some ugly turnovers, poor execution, and a huge clutch shot from Tyrese Haliburton has Indiana heading home with a 2-0 lead before Game 3 on Friday.
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Here is how the Pacers ended up beating the Cavaliers in Game 2 of their second-round matchup.
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Pacers-Cavaliers ending, explained
Entering the 4th quarter
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers were winning 98-84. Their 20-point lead had diminished, but they were holding steady with a comfortable cushion. However, Cleveland didn't score in the fourth quarter until there was 8:27 left. Indiana wasn't doing much, only scoring five points in that span, but Haliburton began to take over.
The Cavaliers continued to be ice cold from the floor, only scoring 10 points in the first eight minutes of the quarter, while the Pacers scored 17. With 30 seconds left in the game, Cleveland was up just 119-116.
Critical timeout
Indiana's Pascal Siakam made a driving layup to put the Pacers within one score. The Cavaliers were trying to in-bound the ball, but as it kept taking longer, head coach Kenny Atkinson felt he had to call a timeout. It was Cleveland's final timeout of the game. Coming out of the timeout, Andrew Nembhard stole the ball for Indiana. The possession resulted in Haliburton getting fouled on a controversial call. He made the first one, but missing the second one ended up being critical.
This ended up being a critical final timeout by Atkinson.
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) May 7, 2025
-Turned it over on ensuing inbounds pass
-Lost ability to challenge a questionable Mitchell foul
-Couldn't advance the ball on the final possession ➡️forced into a no-chance heave pic.twitter.com/qJxjHK5Zgr
Haliburton seals it
Haliburton missed the free throw, but the big men down low couldn't come down with the rebound. It was the second time in the final minute Cleveland missed a critical boxout on a free throw. The first led to an Aaron Nesmith putback dunk that momentarily dazed Donovan Mitchell.
Haliburton's missed free throw bounced around and ended up back in his hands. He took it to the top of the key, tried to get some separation on a defender, and reset. Haliburton then faked a drive, stepped back, and launched a shot from beyond the arc. He nailed it with 1.1 seconds on the clock.
TYRESE HALIBURTON CALLS GAME 🤯
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) May 7, 2025
pic.twitter.com/FPz8knw2FT
With no timeout, the in-bounder for the Cavs ran the baseline. He forced a pass to Sam Merrill, who with only 1.1 seconds left on the clock, tried to dribble up the court to get spacing. Merrill ended up lobbing the ball down the court, but it looked more like a pass than it did any attempt at a shot.
And just like that, Indiana stole a game they had been losing for virtually all 48 minutes. Now, the Cavs must win four of the next five games to keep their dream season alive. In order to do so, they can't make the same mistakes they made down the stretch tongiht.