Tyrese Haliburton proved again he is the man for the clutch moments with the winning three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left as the Indiana Pacers moved 2-0 up on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pacers took full control of their Eastern Conference semifinal against the top-seeded Cavs with another resilient display in which they came from seven points down in the final 50 seconds to claim a 120-119 victory.
According to ESPN research, playoff teams have won only three of 1,643 games when trailing by at least seven points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime.
“Playoff series don’t start until somebody wins a road game. Well, we’ve won two.”
Tyrese Haliburton on bringing a 2-0 series lead back to @GainbridgeFH 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/hZXPw1iKtW
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 7, 2025
The Pacers have accounted for two of those in this postseason.
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We don’t give up – Haliburton
“We just have a resilient group, man,” said Haliburton. “We just figure out ways to win. We don’t give up. We’re battle-tested as a group. We’ve basically been together for about two years now and that continuity has been really good for us.”
Haliburton was the hero in Game 5 of the first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks as the Pacers staged another late comeback and he relishes being passed the ball in clutch situations.
“I’m at peace,” he said. “I’m at peace with my game. Understanding that I’m trusted in these moments. I have all the confidence in the world to make these shots.”
Mitchell effort goes to waste
While Haliburton and the Pacers celebrated, the Cavaliers were left to rue one that got away.
It looked for much of the night that Donovan Mitchell would be the headline act, rather than Haliburton, after pouring in 48 points and nine assists for a team missing the injured Evan Mobley, De’Andre Hunter and Darius Garland.
“We can sit here and dwell on this and be home in about four or five days or we can move on,” Mitchell said. “And take some things that we did really well and go from there. I have no doubt everybody in the locker room is ready for Friday. It sucks. It stings. But we got to go out there and take care of business, but I believe in everybody in that locker room. We believe in each other. We’ll figure it out.”
