by Cleveland, OH- The Cleveland Cavaliers will bypass the Play-In Tournament as the clinch an outright playoff birth with a 129-120 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Autism Awareness Night. Before the game, the Orlando Magic’s Joe Ingles and NBA Legend Dominique Wilkins both had recorded messages play on the jumbotron in support of Autism Awareness Night. Shoutout to both of them for their inspiring remarks!
The Cavs won the opening tip, but Max Strus could not connect from deep. The defensive chops of Donovan Mitchell greeted the Pacer offence as he freed the ball for Jarrett Allen to snatch. Myles Turner got the game going for Indiana with an and-one that he converted. However, Turner proceeded to miss his next two foul shots after earning his way to the charity stripe following an Evan Mobley foul.
These misses came amid the loud cheers of the Wine and Gold faithful who played a big impact in the contest. If it was ever in doubt that Cleveland loves their sports teams, there is no doubt after tonight. After a slow start from beyond the arc, the pace picked up as Turner knocked down a triple. Haliburton followed suit soon after, but Georges Niang answered right back for Cleveland. Additionally, Mitchell hit an off-balanced three that resulted in an and-one.
Following a Strus two, the Pacers called time with 3:21 left in the first down by 10. Indiana got a spark out of the timeout as T.J. McConnell knocked down a pair of field goals. The 32-year-old played for the 76ers until the 2019 season. Nonetheless, the Wine and Gold maintained a 9-point lead heading into the second as Mitchell hit another triple to make the score 35-26.
Cleveland did not take their foot off of the gas as the second frame began. The game opened with a 10-4 run in favor of the Cavs. The second saw a 10-5 run in the first three minutes in favor of the Wine and Gold. This run was spurred on by triples from Niang and Darius Garland. The Pacers called time after this as they found themselves in a 45-31 hole. Out of the timeout, Rick Carlisle’s men went on an 8-2 run. The exclamation point heading into the following timeout was an alley-oop that Obi Toppin slammed home.
With the Cavs up by eight, the crowd noise let up for a brief moment. Mitchell quickly reignited their passion with a corner three. Then Mobley snatched a missed triple from Mitchell that he jammed home. To set up this play, Mitchell grabbed his own rebound after a missed shot. This rebound was his 2000th career board. A monumental achievement for one of the game’s best.
Turner earned yet another and-one after what the home crowd thought was a charge. However, Allen made the Pacers pay on the ensuing possession as he proceeded to dunk on Pascal Siakam while drawing an and-one of his own. The Wine and Gold added an exclamation point at the end of the half courtesy of a triple from former Pacer Caris LeVert. This gave the Cavaliers a 70-59 lead at the half.
Cleveland and Indiana began the second half by trading buckets. Mobley’s opening bucket saw him reach double figures, joining Mitchell and Allen. Less than two minutes into the new half, the Cavs committed a technical foul that led to a Haliburton triple. The Wine and Gold reply came quick as Mitchell drove to the basket, taking his points tally to 20 on the night.
After a timeout, the Pacers were able to force Mobley to commit his fourth foul on the evening. However, Niang—who subbed in—was able to pick up a loose ball that led to another Mitchell triple. This basket took his tally to 29 points on 52% shooting from the field and 50% from outside the arc. Aaron Nesmith earned a trip to the line on the ensuing possession for Indiana. As he sunk both, Nesmith became the fifth Pacer to reach double figures. Impressively, Nesmith scored 10 points in the third alone.
Indiana began to fight their way back into the ball game as they got within six of the Cavs. However, Haliburton mishandled a pass from Jalen Smith. This turnover led to Cleveland regaining a double digit advantage. Smith promptly responded with a solo 5-0 run which included a corner three. Off the back of this, the Pacers finally got back within a possession of the Wine and Gold.
With the Cavs leading 97-94, Mitchell drove to the basket to try and reclaim a two possession lead. Toppin had other plans as he rejected Mitchell’s shot to preserve a three point deficit. The former Dayton star also added his name to the ever growing list of Pacers who had double figure points before the third ended. All was still to play for heading into the fourth with the Cavs holding onto a 97-94 lead.
Before the fourth quarter got underway, there was a silent round of applause in honor of Autism Awareness Night. Ahmaad Crumple and his fellow in-arena hosts did an amazing job leading the fans by showing them how to sign applause. It was a beautiful moment that hits home for me as my cousin has Autism. Massive shoutout to all of the fans in attendance for their participation!
Niang got the ball rolling in the fourth for Cleveland with a triple. Smith added a field goal soon after for Indiana as he became the seventh Pacer to reach double figures. With 6:26 left to play in regulation, the Cavs led 107-105. However, Indiana would have to see out the rest of the game without Obi Toppin who sprained his left ankle. Out of the timeout called at the same time, Allen converted an and-one to give the Cavs a five-point lead.
With just under five minutes to play, Strus converted from downtown. Garland joined the party 90 seconds later. Still, with three minutes to play, the Cavs only led by four. Siakam would cut the lead to two with 120 seconds left. With a chance to take the lead, Turner took a slightly open triple. He missed the shot, turning the ball back over to the Cavs with 1:12 left to play.
With the home crowd behind them, the Cavs got to work on offense. Strus rebounded a missed triple from Mitchell. This led to Garland draining a three with 50 seconds to play. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse erupted as the Wine and Gold lead became five. Indiana was able to score twice from the free throw line on the following posession to cut the lead to three.
On the following possession, Strus took a triple that missed. However, Haliburton clipped him which sent the former Miami Heat guard to the line for three shots. Strus went two for three. As Indiana missed their next three, it became time to foul. As LeVert strolled to the line, the home crowd could begin to taste the playoffs. After splitting his shots, the Pacers drove down to their basket and missed. To put the cherry on top for the Cavs, Isaac Okoro converted an and-one. As the final buzzer sounded, the Cleveland Cavaliers clinched their second consecutive playoff birth 129-120.
Cleveland closes out their regular season Sunday at home against the Charlotte Hornets while the Pacers host the Atlanta Hawks. It’s a party in Cleveland tonight as Cleveland Rocks blasts on radios all over the city!
Top Scorers
Cleveland: Donovan Mitchell (33 Points)
Indiana: Tyrese Haliburton (19 Points)
