CLEVELAND — Tyrese Haliburton delivered an impressive performance with 31 points, and Pascal Siakam contributed 21 as the Indiana Pacers secured their place in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. They achieved a 114-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, sending the top-seeded team packing in just five games.
Donovan Mitchell, who was absent in the latter half of Sunday’s matchup due to a sprain in his left ankle, was Cleveland’s leading scorer with 35 points. Evan Mobley also made a significant impact, adding 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Pacers, seeded fourth, now await their opponent, which will be determined from the ongoing series between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. The Knicks currently hold a 3-1 lead, with Game 5 set to take place in Boston on Wednesday night.
The Celtics swept the Pacers last year in the East finals.
Indiana rallied from a 19-point deficit in the first half and took control after halftime as it won all three games at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena.
It is the first time since a 2005 first-round series against Boston that the Pacers won three road games in a playoff series.
The Cavs dropped three home games in a postseason series for the first time.
Cleveland stormed out to a 44-25 lead with 8:10 remaining in the second quarter before Indiana rallied.
The Pacers got within 56-52 at halftime and then shot 14 of 22 from the field in the third quarter — including four 3-pointers — to go up 85-76 going into the final 12 minutes.
Indiana seized control with a 17-2 run over a five-minute span in the third when Siakam had eight points and Haliburton five. That was part of a 29-8 spurt that saw the Pacers take a 12-point lead late in the third.
Cleveland was just 7 of 26 from the field in the quarter.
Mitchell’s 3-pointer got the Cavs within 106-103 with 1:27 remaining, but Indiana closed it out by scoring eight of the final 10 points.
