‘Sluggish’ Pacers fall in Sport 3, vow to place up extra of a combat in Sport 4: ‘I consider in our crew’ – The New York Occasions

NBA
NBA Postseason
INDIANAPOLIS — There was no unbelievable late-game comeback in Gainbridge Fieldhouse Friday night time.
After a Tyrese Haliburton 3-pointer ignited a 15-4 run late of their Sport 1 victory and scored 4 factors within the remaining 12 seconds of their gorgeous Sport 2 comeback in Cleveland, a determined Cavaliers crew shut down Haliburton and the Pacers 126-104 in Sport 3. The Pacers lead the sequence 2-1. Sport 4 is Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in Indianapolis.
Commercial
After enjoying with out Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter Tuesday night time, the Cavs welcomed all three again to the lineup as they fought to keep away from happening 3-0 within the sequence and preserve their championship hopes alive.
The Sport 3 loss was the Pacers’ first postseason dwelling defeat in a sport the place Haliburton was within the lineup. The Pacers’ level guard completed with 4 factors on 2-of-8 capturing, 5 assists, three turnovers and nil rebounds within the 22-point loss. The Pacers had none of their zip and weren’t in a position to faucet into their “wear-down impact” from the sequence’ first two video games. Haliburton was not made obtainable to talk after the sport.
#Pacers PR didn’t make Tyrese Haliburton obtainable to the media tonight. He’ll speak tomorrow, per PR.
Haliburton scored a playoff career-low 4 factors in tonight’s 22-point loss to the Cavs.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) May 10, 2025

After the sport, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle held himself accountable for the Pacers’ lack of preparation.
“It is a very poor effort originally of the sport, by way of too many elements of the sport. All of us personal it fairly clearly,” Carlisle mentioned. “I didn’t have these guys prepared for this, so I take accountability for that. Ty had a tough sport. I acquired to do extra to get him concerned, get him pictures, get him in higher positions to defend higher, all these sorts of issues.
“If he was up right here, he’d say, I’ll be higher. So he’ll and I gotta assist him be higher.”
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson’s crew had struggled with Indiana’s tempo in Video games 1 and a couple of, however an adjustment to go to a 3-2 zone with NBA Defensive Participant of the 12 months Evan Mobley on the prime of the important thing killed the Pacers’ offensive rhythm. The Cavs’ zone made the Pacers look stagnant and not sure of themselves, and it helped dismantle the Pacers’ 3-point capturing.
After the Cavs made the in-game defensive adjustment, the Pacers had a depressing night time from 3. Indiana began the sport capturing 5 of seven from 3-point vary, however went 4 of 23 the remainder of the best way. After scoring 32 factors within the opening body, the Pacers scored a dreadful 13 factors within the second quarter.
With their offense stifled, the Pacers, at one level, missed 13 straight 3-pointers, together with the final 11 of the primary half and the primary two of the second. They weren’t significantly better within the second half because the Pacers had been 4 of 12 from 3.  The Pacers couldn’t generate sufficient offensive manufacturing to combat again towards the Cavs, and Indiana led at no level in the course of the sport.
Commercial
“By way of the zone protection, we’ll have a look at it,” Carlisle mentioned. “We’ve seen each zone there’s this 12 months. We’ve had success towards all the pieces we’ve seen. We’ve had struggles at occasions, however we’ll modify and do higher. Cleveland performed nice, and so they performed determined, performed the best way they wanted to play.
“We’ve acquired to easily combat more durable from the very starting of the sport. We didn’t do this.”
The Cavs, then again, opened the sport on an 11-0 run. Indiana was in a position to bounce again and tie the sport on the finish of the primary quarter, however Cleveland made a 25-4 run to shut the half up 66-45.
They usually had Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs’ guard had his second straight 40-point sport, ending with 43 factors on 14-of-29 capturing whereas including 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Donovan Mitchell was UNSTOPPABLE within the @cavs Sport 3 street win!
🕷️ 43 factors
🕷️ 9 rebounds
🕷️ 5 assists
🕷️ 5 threes
Cleveland appears to be like to tie the sequence Sunday at 8:00pm/et on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/lNvsm2iVj9
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2025

After Sport 2, the Pacers talked about their want to enhance their rebounding after grabbing a mixed 18 offensive rebounds within the first two video games. It acquired worse in Sport 3.
On Friday, the Cavs as soon as once more dominated the Pacers on the glass. Within the first half, Indiana had two offensive rebounds with 4 second-chance factors, whereas Cleveland had a whopping 13 offensive boards and 21 second-chance factors. It didn’t get significantly better within the second half because the Pacers solely added two extra offensive rebounds and had a mere 9 second-chance factors for the sport. Whereas the Cavs’ weren’t scorching from 3 both, going 14 for 47 from deep, they had been dominant on the boards, as they grabbed 56 rebounds to the Pacers’ 37, together with 18 offensive boards in comparison with the Pacers’ 4.
“I simply thought we had been simply gradual,” Pacers ahead Pascal Siakam mentioned. “We didn’t get to something. We actually weren’t in a position to assault them. We’re simply gonna return, watch it and discover a strategy to get higher.
Commercial
“They performed like a crew that’s down 2-0. They out-fought us, out-rebounded us.”
Indiana went on a 14-7 run early within the fourth to shut the deficit to 11, and a little bit of hope returned to the group.
Then, Cleveland countered with an 8-2 run of their very own to ship the house followers to the exits. Through the first-round sequence towards the Bucks, in addition to forward of Sport 3, Carlisle and the Pacers had spoken of how the group’s quantity and depth have an effect on their sport.
However the Cavaliers took the group out of it early and Gainbridge Fieldhouse was as quiet because the Pacers’ offense.
The Pacers had 5 gamers in double figures. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 23 factors off the bench and Siakam added 18. Myles Turner, who opened the scoring for Indiana after their 11-point deficit early within the sport, completed with 15 factors. TJ McConnell, who offered Indiana with a burst of vitality at any time when he was on the ground, added 12 factors and 6 assists. Andrew Nembhard, who was tasked with guarding Mitchell many of the night time, had 10.
It has been a bodily and generally chippy sequence from the start, and Friday night time’s sport was no totally different. The Pacers, who regarded as in the event that they had been shedding their composure as the sport acquired away from them, drew 5 technical fouls.
“This wasn’t on the officers,” Carlisle mentioned. “That is us not enjoying with sufficient presence, posture, disposition, no matter you wish to name it. We’ve acquired to repair it; we’ve acquired 48 hours to do it.
“Playoff sequence are lengthy, numerous ups and downs, numerous new storylines each sport. From the standpoint of this sport, the storyline is, we acquired to combat more durable. We didn’t combat exhausting sufficient. They did. They out-fought us.”
Commercial
Siakam mentioned the Pacers acquired collectively instantly after the loss to regroup, notice what they did fallacious and apply it for the following sport.
“We are able to’t be predictable,” Siakam mentioned. “We simply acquired to proceed to seek out methods to remain energetic on offense, preserve the ball transferring and simply take regardless of the protection offers us. On the finish of the day, it’s only one sport. I consider in our crew and the extent of resilience that we’ve, and the blokes that we’ve on our squad.
“This one’s gonna sting, however we’re gonna come again and be higher subsequent sport.”
The street crew has gained all three video games this sequence. The Pacers take a 2-1 sequence lead into Sport 4 on Sunday night time at Gainbridge, hoping to interrupt that streak.
(Picture of Tyrese Haliburton and Evan Mobley: Trevor Ruszkowski / Imagn Photographs)
Shakeia Taylor is a employees author for The Athletic overlaying the NBA. Earlier than becoming a member of The Athletic, she labored as a sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune. Comply with Shakeia on Twitter @curlyfro

source