Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin was ejected in the first quarter of Game 4 for seemingly striking Cleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter. The act was deemed a flagrant 2 foul after a review.
Oop 🍿👀
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) May 12, 2025
The altercation was followed by Hunter aggressively approaching Mathurin and shoving him. With the Pacers guard falling to the ground, Myles Turner rushed to his teammate’s defense and charged at the Cavs forward.
The situation was stopped from escalating. However, Turner and Hunter were each handed a technical foul for their immediate reactions to the play.
Hunter could be seen gesturing at Mathurin to “play with his head” after some distance was put between both players. This could have been in response to the fact that the Pacers guard’s attempts to bait Hunter into a foul were proven ineffective.
Mathurin was ejected moments after checking into Game 4. With effectively no impact on the floor, he walked off with only one rebound to his name.
The 22-year-old averaged 16.1 points per game in the regular season and played a vital role in helping the Pacers win Games 1 and 2 of the series against Cleveland.
Mathurin was coming off a 23-point performance in Game 3. Although it resulted in a loss, the guard provided valuable offensive production off the bench and created opportunities for the Pacers to increase their chances of beating the No. 1 seed.
Meanwhile, De’Andre Hunter continues to be a solid contributor to the Cavs’ winning efforts. Hunter missed the first two games of the series, joining the injury report along with key players such as Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. However, his return to the floor spells good things for the team going forward.
His performance in Game 4 has been solid thus far. With five points and two rebounds in nine minutes of playing time, Hunter has made earnest contributions to the team in his limited capacity. But the Cavs certainly look out of sorts heading into the second half.
The Pacers’ offense in the first half was nothing short of an onslaught on the Cavaliers. With 48 points in the fourth quarter, the Pacers found themselves hanging 80 points in the first half against Cleveland’s 39. With a 41-point differential, Indiana finds itself in a comfortable position to put this game away early on.
The lack of significant contribution from the Cavaliers is concerning. Although Donovan Mitchell has put up 12 points for the game thus far, he appears to be the only player to record double-digit scoring for the night.
A potential loss in Game 4 doesn’t bode well for the No. 1 seed in the East. With a looming 3-1 series deficit on the horizon, the Cavs may very well be seeing another postseason run coming to a quiet end.
