Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and the Indiana Pacers rallied from a 19-point deficit to eliminate the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, winning Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals 114-105 on Tuesday night.
Indiana won all three games in Cleveland. With the victory, Indiana reached the conference finals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2014.
Cleveland built an early 44-25 lead midway through the second quarter, but Haliburton knocked down five three-pointers in the period to close the gap to 56-52 at halftime.
The Pacers shot 63.6% from the field in the third quarter and used a 17-2 run to seize an 85-76 lead heading into the fourth.
Pascal Siakam added 21 points and eight rebounds for Indiana, while Andrew Nembhard chipped in 18 points and six assists.
The Cavaliers were outpaced despite 35 points from Donovan Mitchell, who returned from a sprained left ankle after missing the second half of Game 4.
Evan Mobley finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds, but Cleveland shot just 38.9% from the field and 25.7% from three-point range.
Mitchell and Darius Garland combined to shoot 12-for-41 from the field and 4-for-19 from beyond the arc.
Cleveland got within three points on Mitchell’s late three-pointer with 1:27 remaining, but Indiana closed on an 8-2 run to seal the win.
The Pacers will face the winner of the Celtics-Knicks series, with New York holding a 3-1 advantage ahead of Game 5 on Wednesday night in Boston.
The Cavaliers had swept Miami in the first round and entered the series with the league’s second-best regular season record at 64-18, but they could not keep pace with Indiana’s fast tempo.
Rick Carlisle’s squad outscored Cleveland by 11 in the third quarter and executed in crunch time to hand the Cavs three home playoff losses for the first time in franchise history.
Indiana finished the night shooting 50% from the field and 42.9% from three, with six players scoring at least nine points.
The Pacers outrebounded Cleveland 47-46 and out-assisted them 26-10, while committing fewer turnovers and converting 77.3% from the foul line.
Indiana is now one step away from its first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.
