CNN
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The Indiana Pacers pushed the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers onto the brink of playoff elimination with a dominant 129-109 victory to take a 3-1 series lead.
After a 22-point loss at home in Game 3, the determined Pacer squad jumped out of the gate, gaining 15 points since the opening quarter.
By the end of the second quarter, the lead had hit 41, marking the biggest half-time lead in NBA playoff history. The Pacers’ 80 points also set a new franchise playoff record with points scored half per Reuters.
The Cavaliers had no answer to Indiana’s fierce offense, and their hopes were even more shattered when star guard Donovan Mitchell was forced to sit throughout the second half with an ankle injury.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said Mitchell would have an MRI on Monday, but he candidly said Sunday’s game was “full domination” by the Pacers.
“It’s like a story in every way. It wasn’t like a tactic or anything. They dominated us in every aspect of the game,” he said.
The Pacers didn’t have Benedict Matlin, a source of consistent points that left the bench for the series.
Three pacer players scored at least 20 points. Pascal Siakam had a Goint Game-High 21 with six rebounds, with Miles Turner 20 rebounds and 7 rebounds and Obi Toppin 20 points.
In total, seven pacer players scored in double digits.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said, according to the Associated Press. “We’re going to keep coming to this as there’s everything we can prove. We know that people don’t believe us, so we just stay in the fight and continue to fight.”
However, it was another quiet night for Ty Halliburton, who scored just 11 points in three-eighth shooting after scoring just four points in two-eighth shooting before two nights ago.
For the Cavaliers, Darius Garland went on with six assists with 21 points. Mitchell scored 12 points in three-11th shooting before leaving.
The series will move to Cleveland for Game 5 on Tuesday, with the Pacers able to book tickets for their second Eastern Tournament final.
“Don’t believe in the hype. Keep up with Rollorlin,” Turner told TNT after the match.
“We put our final game in our mouths. We had a hell of reaction. The stars set the tone and the bench picked up the rest of the game.”
The Oklahoma City Thunder won the Denver Nuggets 92-87 road, tying the series 2-2.
It was almost a difference in offensive quality as the two teams started out with just 25 points in the tough first quarter when they finished 17-8 at Oklahoma City 17-8.
However, the experienced Nuggets gradually improved to take an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter. However, a 11-0 run from Thunder turned the game into his mind, and Denver never took the lead again.
“We fought, we kept the course and then we closed the game,” Thunderstar guard Shy Gilgauss-Alexander said according to the Associated Press.
A key contender in the most valuable athlete race, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 25 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steels.
Nikola Jokić, a rival who crowned Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP, scored 27 points, 13 rebounds and four steals in the evening.
Game 5 will be in Oklahoma City on Tuesday.