CLEVELAND — A heartbreaking end to what appeared to be a dominant Game 2 gave the Cavs their second loss of the series, dropping Tuesday's game 120-119 to the Pacers on a game-winning three from Tyrese Haliburton.
The Cleveland Cavaliers knew they needed to start Game 2 on a much different note than they opened with in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Pacers. The challenge would be doing that down two starters and a key player.
Just before tip-off, the Cavs had ruled out forward Evan Mobley, swingman De'Andre Hunter, and guard Darius Garland for Tuesday's game. Mobley and Hunter sustained injuries in Game 1, while Garland is still working through a toe injury that has sidelined him since Game 3 of the series with the Miami Heat.
Without those three key players, the starting lineup looked quite a bit different—the Cavs going with Ty Jerome, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen on the court to start.
Mitchell answered the call as Cleveland's superstar, playing a total takeover game on Tuesday. His 48 points led the way for Cleveland. Allen contributed 22 and Strus had an impressive 23 points.
Cleveland has praised their depth all year, and they focused heavily on that Tuesday. In the first half, the Cavs had gone nine deep with Sam Merrill, Isaac Okoro, Javonte Green and Craig Porter Jr. all joining in on the efforts.
It was a tough night for Jerome, though, who shot 1-14 from the field, 0-4 from three. Still, at halftime, the Cavs held an 11-point lead, thanks in part to a dominant first half from Mitchell, who scored 21 in the first two frames.
The Cavs' biggest lead of the night was 20, but in the fourth quarter, the Pacers went on a run, cutting a 14-point lead down and ending with a game-winning three-pointer from Haliburton with two seconds left. Poor offensive possessions and fouls led to that game-winner—an absolute dagger to the Cavs with their second home loss of the series.
The Pacers hold a 2-0 series lead with a couple of days off. The Cavs are hitting the road for Indianapolis with Game 3 tipping off inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse Friday at 7:30 p.m.
