The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Indiana Pacers 126-104 in a lopsided Game 3 matchup on Friday. Despite being on their home court, the Pacers offense simply didn’t produce at their usual level.
The Cavs jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead, but the Pacers kept up the pace and managed to tie the game in the finals seconds of the opening quarter. After Indiana showed signs of life, the Cavs responded swiftly and sternly. They locked down on defense while maintaining a blistering pace on offense, outscoring the Pacers 34-13 in the second quarter.
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The Pacers had a solid 34-point third quarter, but couldn’t slow down the Cavs offense in the process.
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Tyrese Haliburton struggled to get any sort of offense going for the Pacers in the final quarter and Cleveland pulled away.
Donovan Mitchell was dominant from start to finish with 43 points, nine rebounds and five assists while all five starters had 18 points or more.
For Indiana, Bennedict Mathurin had 23 points off the bench as Haliburton’s struggled mightily. He finished with just four points and five assists.
The Cavs got a much needed win to avoid a 3-0 deficit and will look to tie the series at two games apiece on Sunday in Game 4.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
