The Cleveland Cavaliers are finally on the board in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 126-104 win in Game 3 over the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Friday. The Cavaliers had suffered brutal home defeats in the first two games of this series and have now given themselves a lifeline with this victory.
Donovan Mitchell was sensational for the Cavaliers with 43 points (14-29 FG), nine rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Mitchell hit some big shots when the Pacers had cut the lead to 11 in the fourth quarter and deserves massive props for his play. Max Strus put in an impressive performance as well, with 20 points (8-12 FG), seven rebounds, seven assists, and a block. The Cavaliers also saw Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De’Andre Hunter return from injury here, and they combined for 36 points on the night.
This was a must-win game for the Cavaliers, and they came through in style. NBA fans had some interesting reactions to their dominant win.
“Best player I’ve ever seen in a Cavs uniform. Yep, I said it,” a fan had some very high praise for Mitchell.
“And Max Strus is stepping up big time. Mitchell and Strus are carrying this team. Let’s go, Cavs,” a fan commended Strus and Mitchell for putting the team on their backs.
“This is what happens when the Pacers actually play a healthy team,” one fan claimed that the Pacers can only beat injured teams.
“Tyrese Haliburton is the most confusing player in the league. How can you go from what he did in the last two games to this with no injury?” One fan is perplexed by how poorly Tyrese Haliburton played.
“Donovan best player in the playoffs right now,” a fan believes no one has played better than Mitchell in this postseason.
“Tyrese forgot that he’s a professional basketball player,” another fan ripped Haliburton for his play.
The Pacers will be left wondering what might have been if they had played better in that second quarter. The score was tied at 32 at the end of the first, but the Cavaliers took control after that. The visitors outscored the hosts 34-13 in the period to enter halftime with a 66-45 lead.
The Pacers had come back from a 20-point deficit in Game 2, but pulling off another heist like that was always going to be a bit too difficult. That was especially true with how much of a non-factor Tyrese Haliburton was on the night.
Haliburton was the hero in Game 2 after hitting the game-winner, but he had just four points (2-8 FG), five assists, and one steal in this one. Bennedict Mathurin proved to be the most impressive Pacer on the night, finishing with 23 points (6-11 FG), one rebound, and one steal off the bench against the Cavaliers in 27 minutes.
The Pacers are still in the ascendancy in this series, but they missed a golden opportunity here to finish off the Cavaliers. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, and they could have all but ended the series with a win.
Instead, it’s now 2-1 and the Cavaliers have all the momentum heading into Game 4 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday at 8 PM ET.
