

In a back-and-forth potential close-out game, the Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-105 on Tuesday, eliminating the East’s top-seeded team on their home floor by winning the series 4-1.
The Pacers, who trailed by 19 points in the first half, went on a 16-4 second-quarter run, thanks to a handful of 3-pointers by Tyrese Haliburton, to cut the Cavaliers’ lead down to six points en route to silencing Rocket Mortgage Center. Indiana continued its onslaught in the third quarter with a 17-2 run in just under five minutes to grab a six-point advantage.
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Haliburton led Indiana with 31 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Pascal Siakam tallied 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Andrew Nembhard scored 18. Aaron Nesmith added a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Cleveland returned the favor by making its own run in the fourth quarter but couldn’t push past Indiana. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 35 points and nine rebounds, while Evan Mobley finished with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds. De’Andre Hunter added 12 points off the bench.
MYLES TURNER SEALS THE DEAL.
PACERS ADVANCE TO THEIR SECOND-STRAIGHT EASTERN CONFERNCE FINALS ‼️ pic.twitter.com/aeN0cysZJF
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2025
Pacers make shots after slow start
The Pacers got off to a disappointing start in Game 5. Haliburton got two early fouls and as a team they were shooting poorly. Indiana was 7-for-22 (31.8 percent) inside the arc and 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) beyond it and ended the period down 12.
In the second quarter, though, Haliburton got hot from 3, hitting five consecutive 3-pointers. The Pacers improved to 10-for-20 from two and 7-for-12 from three. Shot-making continued to improve in the third as the Pacers took the lead. Indiana was 1-of-14 from two and 4-of-8 from 3. In the final frame, Indiana was 10-of-18 on all shots.
With his team’s chances at taking down the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in five games on the line, Haliburton stepped up. For the first time since Game 1 of the series, Haliburton scored more than 20 points. — Shakeia Taylor, staff writer
Cavaliers outpaced by Indiana and injuries
Respect to Mitchell. Clearly hurting, he scored 16 of his 35 points in a furious comeback attempt. He was bothered by an ankle sprain that was limiting his jumping ability, but he was out there running and gunning until the bitter, disappointing end.
Can any of the remaining teams keep up with Indiana? I’m not sure. I know the Cavs could not deal with the relentless defensive pressure AND all the sprinting the Pacers did on offense over the course of four quarters. Yes, Cleveland had injuries, but the tempo was too much.
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The Cavs were the NBA’s second-best 3-point shooting team, and in an elimination game, shot 26 percent from deep. Mobley was strong, but Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen were vulnerabilities in this series.
The Cavs banished Ty Jerome to the end of the bench for Game 5, but with the adjustment of Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade beginning to wear down, coach Kenny Atkinson went back to Jerome in the second half, and he at least scored eight points. But even with a better offensive night for Jerome, he was still beaten off the dribble too many times and couldn’t stay on the court for that last, furious push.
Sam Merrill missed this game with a neck strain. Garland missed two games with a toe sprain, and Mobley and Hunter each missed a game. Atkinson said he didn’t want to blame injuries for this series, but either the injuries or the Cavs’ inability to play through them had a huge impact.
So did Indiana’s relentless pressure and pace.
Mitchell tried to extend this series with a gutsy performance, and now he has a whole summer to rest. — Joe Vardon, senior writer
(Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
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