The Indiana Pacers are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season, and they did it by delivering one final knockout punch to the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Behind a relentless pace and standout performances from Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, the fourth-seeded Pacers rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit to defeat the Cavs 114-105 in Game 5 on Tuesday night, winning the series 4-1.
Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle put it best after the game: “Our finishing punch is what defines us.” And once again, the Pacers tempo and resilience proved too much for the Cavaliers to handle.
Game 5 unfolded much like the first two in the series. Cleveland stormed out of the gate, building a 44-25 lead midway through the second quarter. But Haliburton, who finished with 31 points, caught fire, hitting five of his six 3-pointers in the second period to trim the lead. The Pacers closed the half on a furious run to cut the deficit to just 56-52.
Out of the locker room, Indiana surged. The Pacers hit 14 of their 22 shots in the third quarter, including a decisive 17-2 run that gave them an 85-76 lead heading into the fourth. Siakam added 21 points in a performance that was as steady as it was timely.
Cleveland, which had swept the Miami Heat in the first round, looked overmatched against Indiana’s fast-paced attack. Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who missed the second half of Game 4 with a sprained left ankle, returned to score 35 points, but his efforts weren’t enough. The Cavaliers shot just 38.9% from the field and were a dismal 9-of-35 from three-point range. Mitchell and Darius Garland combined to go 12-of-41 overall and 4-of-19 from deep.
Still, Cleveland had one last push. Mitchell’s three-pointer with 1:27 remaining cut Indiana’s lead to 106-103. But the Pacers calmly closed the game with an 8-2 run to seal the win — and the series.
It was a historic night for Indiana. The Pacers won all three games at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, marking the first time since a 2005 first-round matchup against Boston that they’ve won three road games in a playoff series. Conversely, the Cavs dropped three home games in a postseason series for the first time.
Indiana now awaits the winner of the Boston Celtics–New York Knicks series. The Knicks currently lead 3-1, with Game 5 set for Wednesday night in Boston.
With back-to-back trips to the conference finals for the first time since the 2013-14 seasons, the Pacers are not only surging — they’re evolving into a legitimate contender in the East.
