NBA playoffs takeaways: Donovan Mitchell’s 43 spur Cavs to Game 3 win at Indiana

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The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up the win in Game 3 of their series against the Indiana Pacers behind an outstanding effort from star Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell scored 43 points in the 126-104 win that set the Eastern Conference semifinal at 2-1 heading into Sunday’s Game 4.

While Mitchell led Cleveland’s charge Friday night, he and the Cavaliers were boosted by the return of three key players, including starters Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Garland ran into foul trouble in the first half but still scored 10 points while Mobley added 18 to go along with his 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.

The Pacers didn’t enjoy the best start to Game 3, allowing an 11-0 run following the opening tip and finding themselves down by 15 early in the quarter.

Indiana rallied from the slow start and briefly took the lead in the second quarter. However, star Tyrese Haliburton, who hit the game-winning 3 in the series’ second matchup up struggled and finished with just four points in the loss.

A complete win

No wild comebacks and no stars missing in action.

Just a complete, gutsy win by the Cavs, who desperately needed one.

As The Athletic reported Thursday, Garland (sprained big toe), Mobley (sprained ankle), and De’Andre Hunter (sprained thumb) all gave it a go for Game 3. The individual results were mixed but having them out there collectively seemed to bring together a team that had been such a cohesive group all season and was just beginning to show a few cracks after two tough losses and questions about their absences.

Mobley played like the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and likely an All-NBA selection. The leaping ability, presence in the paint, scoring, and ability to run the floor were all there from Mobley, who showed virtually no effects from the injury he suffered stepping on Myles Turner’s foot in Game 1.

Garland shot 3-of-11 and committed four fouls in the first half. He finished with 10 points, appeared to re-injure himself in the third quarter but returned to the game, and committed four turnovers. He also hadn’t played in more than two weeks and his presence was felt as a ball handler who could handle the Pacers’ pressure.

Hunter shot 2-of-6 for eight points in 20 minutes. His thumb is still swollen but, without asking him, it’s hard to tell if he was truly bothered by the injury. The bigger story as far as Hunter is concerned, is that as a bench player, he’s part of a reserve unit that’s getting outplayed by the Pacers. Bennedict Mathurin gave Indiana 23 points off the bench and T.J. McConnell added 12 points. Ty Jerome is still struggling mightily for Cleveland, and Kenny Atkinson carved off some of Jerome’s usual minutes and gave them to Sam Merrill.

Otherwise, the Pacers cut a huge deficit to 11 points in the fourth quarter before Mitchell ended their momentum. Mitchell scored 14 in the fourth quarter and the collapse this team suffered in Game 2 never materialized.

The Cavs also broke out a 3-2 zone that seemed to frustrate the Pacers to no end – a solid game-to-game adjustment for Atkinson. — Joe Vardon, Senior NBA writer

Beaten on the glass again

After the second game of the series, the Pacers mentioned their need to improve on the glass. In Game 1, they finished with seven total offensive rebounds and in Game 2, there was a slight improvement to 11. But on Friday night, they got killed, once again, on the offensive glass. In the first half, they had two offensive rebounds with four second-chance points, while Cleveland had 13 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points. In the second half, they only added two offensive rebounds and finished with four total (nine second-chance points). While not the entire difference, it’s certainly still a pain point for Indiana, who need all the scoring chances and stops it can get.

The Pacers also struggled from beyond the arc. In the first half, they shot 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from 3 and at one point missed 13 straight 3-pointers, including the last 11 of the first half and first two of the second. The second half wasn’t much better. Indiana only made three out of eight 3-point attempts in the third quarter, and finished with nine made 3-point attempts out of 30 chances. — Shakeia Taylor, Pacer beat writer

Struggling star

Three days after drilling the game-winning 3-pointer that gave the Pacers a 2-0 lead in their second-round series against the Cavs, Haliburton struggled mightily Friday night. Indiana’s star point guard finished with a playoff career-low four points, marking just the third time he’s scored less than 10 points in the postseason. He shot just 2-for-8 from the field (25 percent), which was the second-lowest mark of his postseason career, and only dished out five assists.

Haliburton landed awkwardly on his left wrist in Game 2, got an X-Ray mid-game and returned to the court with his wrist heavily taped before drilling the game-winner. He insisted that he was “fine” at practice Thursday, but his wrist was taped again Friday and that may have contributed to his quiet night.

Friday’s defeat also marked the first time the Pacers lost a home playoff game in which Haliburton played. Indiana was previously 9-0 with Haliburton in the lineup, with their only home playoff losses over the last two years coming in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Celtics. Boston swept Indiana, but Haliburton was sidelined for the last two games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse due to a hamstring injury. — James Boyd, Colts beat writer

(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)

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