Tyrese Haliburton scored eight of his 23 points in a pivotal fourth-quarter run to lead the Indiana Pacers past the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers 114-112 on Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The win secured Indiana (49-31) a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
With the Cavaliers (63-17) resting four starters after clinching the No. 1 seed, Haliburton delivered 10 assists, eight rebounds and three blocks while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 4-of-11 from deep.
Aaron Nesmith added 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go with six rebounds as the Pacers moved one win away from their first 50-win season since 2013-14.
Myles Turner finished with 13 points, seven boards and four blocks, and Indiana outscored Cleveland 23-9 in transition to overcome a narrow halftime deficit.
The Cavaliers led 56-52 at the break behind a surprising spark from Ty Jerome, who had 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting with six assists before sitting the fourth quarter.
De’Andre Hunter contributed 23 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland, which still led 107-103 with under four minutes to play.
That’s when Haliburton took over, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to cap a 10-0 run that gave Indiana a 113-107 lead.
Jaylon Tyson had a chance to tie it at the buzzer but missed a contested midrange jumper that sealed Cleveland’s first loss since April 2.
Coach Kenny Atkinson, who was ejected late in the third quarter after consecutive technical fouls, started Jarrett Allen but pulled the center at halftime following a 10-rebound effort.
Cleveland opted to sit Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Max Strus due to rest or injury-related reasons, with only Allen starting among regulars.
Despite the short rotation, the Cavaliers bench played with intensity, outscoring Indiana’s reserves 39-44 and keeping the contest tight until the final possession.
Isaac Okoro chipped in 13 points while Craig Porter Jr. added 16 off the bench, though both struggled defensively during Indiana’s late surge.
For the Pacers, Jarace Walker had an efficient 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting in limited minutes, helping keep Indiana in range early in the second half.
Rick Carlisle’s team shot 46.2 percent overall and knocked down 14 three-pointers, but committed nine turnovers that nearly proved costly.
Indiana’s defense stepped up when needed, recording 11 blocks and limiting Cleveland to just one made field goal over the final three minutes.
