CNN
–
The Indiana Pacers surprised the Cleveland Cavaliers on the 121-112 road to win Game 1 in the Eastern Conference semi-finals on Sunday night.
Indiana gained an 11-point advantage at the end of the first quarter, earning a lead for most of the game. It wasn’t until Aaron Nesmith’s three-pointer that the Cavaliers began to gather until mid-3 quarter, led by a 12-man pacer.
However, after regaining the deficit and taking the lead, the Cavs appeared against the inspired Tailese Halliburton. The security guards led the Pacers on a 20-10 run, closing the game that included a clutch three-pointer (only two in six nights’ attempts) and a key block.
“We are definitely heavy vulnerable, but we’re trying to control what we can,” said Halliburton, according to the Associated Press. “It certainly gives us a lot of momentum, but this is the best team in our meeting. They don’t lose much.”
Halliburton stole the stolen with 22 points, 13 assists, three rebounds, three blocks and steals, with all five of the Indiana starters plus Benedict Maturin, who was off the bench, scored in double digits.
Andrew Nembhard had Team High 23 for Indiana. This included six five assists from the 3-point range.
“We had a night that made some really good shots, but the key word is offense,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “To beat this team, you have to go into offensive mode.”
Indiana won despite a record game one from Donovan Mitchell.
The Cavaliers guard scored at least 30 points, breaking Michael Jordan’s previous seven-year-old record, earning a game-high 33 points in the opening of the eighth straight series.
Cleveland did not have Darius Garland in his third straight game due to a toe injury, but he scored 21 points with 20 points, 10 rebounds and two steals from the bench of Tygerome, who continues to impress in these playoffs.
The team went 9/9 from Deep, which ultimately cost Cavs in Game 1, with inadequate shooting from the distance that ultimately cost them a 1-on-one for Mitchell.
“We missed a lot of good looks, and when you miss a shot, that’s when they move,” Mitchell told the Associated Press. “The biggest thing is, how do you react when your shots aren’t falling? But when a team like this is executed like that, it becomes difficult.”
Game 2 will be in Cleveland on Tuesday.
Steph Curry scored 14 of 22 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 103-89 game 7 victory over the Houston Rockets.
But Buddy Heald led the team with a game-high 33 points in an absurdly efficient 12-15 shooting, including 9 o’clock on 1-11, from 3 to 3 to 3.
It was a very surprising turnaround for Hield, who scored zero points in 17 minutes of Game 6 with a quarter-0 shooting.
The Warriors are the seventh seed in NBA history to advance to the semi-finals per AP.
Curry finished the night with 22 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steels and two blocks, while Jimmy Butler scored 20 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.
Fred VanVito grew for the Rockets in games 5 and 6, but in Game 7 he scored just 17 points on a night of all-out poor shooting for the team.
