Tyrese Haliburton described being “at peace” with the game and the moment after drilling a go-ahead three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to lift the Indiana Pacers to a dramatic 120-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
The Pacers now hold a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals, marking the franchise’s first time winning the opening two games of a playoff series on the road since 1994.
Indiana closed the contest on an 8-0 run, erasing a seven-point deficit in the final 1:06, sparked by Haliburton’s late surge and Cleveland’s costly turnovers.
Haliburton, who scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, said postgame, “I have all the confidence in the world to make these shots. My teammates and my coaching staff give me that confidence.”
The All-Star guard missed a potential game-tying free throw but chased down his own rebound before pulling up from the top of the key over Ty Jerome to seal the win.
He called it a “special feeling” and reflected on the play, noting, “It’s just funny how it works out sometimes… I felt comfortable there and just knocked it down.”
Indiana’s win was secured through collective contributions, with Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith each scoring 23 points and Bennedict Mathurin adding 19 off the bench.
The Cavaliers led by as many as 17 points and were ahead 98-81 late in the third quarter, but the Pacers mounted a 17-6 run to close the gap heading into the fourth.
Haliburton pointed to Indiana’s chemistry and resilience: “We’ve had to figure out so many different ways to win… today, that was what it was all about.”
Andrew Nembhard, who recorded 13 assists, came up with a key steal with under 30 seconds left that set up Haliburton’s final sequence.
Despite Donovan Mitchell’s 48-point effort, the Cavaliers were undone by late-game execution and a shortened rotation due to injuries to Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and De’Andre Hunter.
Cleveland shot just 28.2% from three-point range and turned the ball over twice in the final 40 seconds, including a critical error by Max Strus that led to Indiana’s final possession.
“They came out, pressed us full court… by the end of the game, everybody was tired. But they were tired,” Haliburton said, emphasizing Indiana’s strategy of wearing down opponents.
He also responded to chants of “overrated” from Cleveland fans, saying, “That one was unexpected. I didn’t know we had beef… I mean, overrate that.”
The Pacers finished with 28 assists to the Cavaliers’ 24, out-rebounded Cleveland 40-39, and shot 51.8% from the floor.
Game 3 will take place Friday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where Indiana looks to move within one win of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Haliburton said the team is staying focused: “You’re up 2-0, but you still know there’s a lot to improve on… so we gotta keep the focus on us and play Pacer basketball.”
