Pacers demolish Cavs to snatch 3-1 series lead

The Indiana Pacers took a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals thanks to a dominant 129-109 victory over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

The Pacers claimed a whopping 80-39 lead at halftime and extended it to 44 in the second half. Pascal Siakam put up 21 points and was one of six Indiana players to score in double figures.

The team is now one victory away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals, where the eventual champion Boston Celtics ended the Pacers' season last year.

Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell didn't play in the second half due to a left ankle injury. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said Mitchell will get an MRI on Monday, according to NBA reporter Scott Agness.

"I will be good for Tuesday," Mitchell said, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. He left the arena without a walking boot or crutches, under his own power.

Mitchell recorded 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Darius Garland led the Cavs in scoring with 21 points and six assists.

Indiana bench boss Rick Carlisle surpassed Larry Bird for most postseason wins with 33. Carlisle won 18 playoff games between 2004 and 2006 before returning to the franchise in 2021, taking the team back to the postseason two seasons later.

"We haven't done anything yet," Carlisle said postgame, according to ESPN. "We're a pretty significant underdog in every game that we've played in this series, and that will continue until the end. We're going to keep approaching this like we have everything to prove, and we know people don't believe in us. We're just gonna stay in the fight and keep fighting."

Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin was ejected early into the contest after striking Cavaliers wing De'Andre Hunter in the sternum with a fist. Hunter responded by pushing Mathurin to the court.

Indiana shot 52.7% from the floor and took 23 more shots than Cleveland. The Pacers also forced 22 turnovers, leading to 35 points from the Cavs. Atkinson called his opponent's performance "complete domination," according to NBAonTNT.

"They raised their game to another level, and we didn't match it," Atkinson added, per NBA TV.

After losing the first two games in Cleveland, the Cavs came back to win Game 3 by 22 in Indiana on Friday.

The Pacers can clinch the series with a victory Tuesday.