Indiana Pacers put pressure on undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers going into Game 3
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Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton seems determined to change the narrative after being voted by his peers as the NBA’s most overrated player in an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Indianapolis – Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers are looking to come through in the clutch once again when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of their National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference semi-final series on May 9 (May 10, Singapore time) in Indianapolis.
Haliburton also seems determined to change the narrative after being voted by his peers as the NBA’s most overrated player in an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic.
The two-time All-Star guard made a driving lay-up in the waning moments of the Pacers’ series-clinching overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
He followed that up by collecting 22 points and 13 assists in the series opener versus top-seeded Cleveland before sinking a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 120-119 victory on May 6 and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.
The frenzied finish, in which the fourth-seeded Pacers overcame a seven-point deficit in the final minute, was just par for the course in Haliburton’s eyes.
“It’s the NBA. Crazier things have happened,” he said. “We’ve had many games where you could take a screenshot at any moment and be like, ‘How did they win this game?’ We just have a resilient group. We just figure out ways to win. We don’t give up and we’re battle-tested.”
Haliburton certainly is battle-tested. In fact, he has a wrap on his left, non-shooting wrist to show for it. He told the Indianapolis Star following practice on May 8: “I’m fine. I’ll be fine for the game. I’m all good.”
The Pacers would be trending to “all good” status with a victory on May 9. That would put them on the brink of securing a second consecutive conference finals appearance.
Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell scored 48 points on 15-for-30 shooting from the floor and 17-of-21 from the free-throw line.
Max Strus had 23 points and Jarrett Allen added 22 to go along with 12 rebounds for the undermanned Cavaliers, who played their fourth straight game without All-Star Darius Garland (left big toe sprain).
Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and key reserve De’Andre Hunter (right thumb sprain) missed Game 2 after sustaining their respective injuries in the series opener.
“I’m proud of every individual that put up a fight,” Mitchell said. “We’ve shown how deep we are as a team, how great we are as a unit. But it’s tough losing like that. We’ve got to find a way to get one in Indy.”
The Cavaliers listed Garland, Mobley and Hunter as questionable for Game 3 on the NBA injury report on May 8, although coach Kenny Atkinson noted that the trio participated – to some extent – in practice that day.
“It was shoot-around basically, so they all touched the ball,” Atkinson said. “They all got some reps up, but we didn’t do anything live. They kind of participated in the walk-through, and (we’re) hoping for the best.”
Atkinson also said the team are doing their best to keep their spirits up given the makeshift line-up.
“I think it’s frustrating for all of us, and it’s no indictment on anybody or the players – none of that,” Atkinson said.
“It’s just injuries are a tough thing, and you don’t really know unless you experience it yourself.”
The other matchup on May 9 sees the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference.
The Thunder were shocked by the Nuggets in Game 1 of the series but they were stunning in a Game 2 romp.
Oklahoma City’s 43-point rout on May 7 evened the series, which moves to Denver for the next two games.
The Thunder need to win one of those road games to take back home-court advantage, which should not be a tough task for a team who went 32-8 away from home during the regular season and won their first two on the road in the play-offs.
To get at least one win, they need to bring the same energy they had in Game 2 when they led by 24 after the first quarter, scored 87 points in the first half and were up by as much as 49.
“Winning by a hundred or winning by two, it’s still 1-1, and I think that’s very important. Like I said, especially in the series, every game’s going to look different. People are going to make adjustments... It’s important to turn the page,” Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. REUTERS
