Game ID: 42400203
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Indiana Pacers
Friday, May 9, 2025 at 7:30 PM ET
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
IND 32 13 34 25 104CLE 32 34 31 29 126
CLE @ IND ScoutingCLE @ IND Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
IND availability going into 4/27 · 1 day's restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 79 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Haliburton back 4/19 after 2, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Siakam back 4/19 after 2, 33 min since (100% of 33)
BACK Sheppard back 4/25 after 7, 15 min since (85% of 18)
BACK Que. Jackson back 4/11 after 6, 30 min since (219% of 14)
IND availability going into 4/29 · 1 day's restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 80 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Haliburton back 4/19 after 2, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Siakam back 4/19 after 2, 32 min since (97% of 33)
BACK Sheppard back 4/25 after 7, 18 min since (102% of 18)
IND availability going into 5/04 · 4 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 81 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Haliburton back 4/19 after 2, 35 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Siakam back 4/19 after 2, 34 min since (103% of 33)
BACK Sheppard back 4/25 after 7, 14 min since (80% of 18)
IND availability going into 5/06 · 1 day's restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 82 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Sheppard back 4/25 after 7, 13 min since (70% of 18)
IND availability going into 5/09 · 2 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 83 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Sheppard back 4/25 after 7, 11 min since (63% of 18)
IND availability going into 5/11 · 1 day's restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 84 since 11/04, out tonight
IND availability going into 5/13 · 1 day's restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 85 since 11/04, out tonight
IND availability going into 5/21 · 7 days' restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 86 since 11/04, out tonight
IND availability going into 5/23 · 1 day's restOUT Isa. Jackson missed 87 since 11/04, out tonight
NEW Nesmith 26 to 32 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 4/26 · 2 days' restBACK Mitchell back 4/20 after 4, 34 min since (109% of 32)
BACK Hunter back 4/20 after 2, 20 min since (80% of 25)
BACK Jerome back 4/20 after 2, 25 min since (124% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 2, 22 min since (110% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/13 after 5, 47 min since (369% of 13)
CLE availability going into 4/28 · 1 day's restBACK Mitchell back 4/20 after 4, 33 min since (105% of 32)
BACK Hunter back 4/20 after 2, 23 min since (92% of 25)
BACK Jerome back 4/20 after 2, 24 min since (119% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 2, 21 min since (106% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/13 after 5, 47 min since (369% of 13)
CLE availability going into 5/04 · 5 days' restOUT Garland missed 2 since 4/26, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 4/20 after 4, 31 min since (98% of 32)
BACK Hunter back 4/20 after 2, 22 min since (90% of 25)
BACK Jerome back 4/20 after 2, 23 min since (115% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 2, 20 min since (103% of 20)
BACK Tomlin back 4/13 after 5, 47 min since (369% of 13)
CLE availability going into 5/06 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 3 since 4/26, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 4/20 after 4, 31 min since (100% of 32)
BACK Hunter back 4/20 after 2, 24 min since (97% of 25)
BACK Jerome back 4/20 after 2, 24 min since (121% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 4/20 after 2, 20 min since (101% of 20)
CLE availability going into 5/09 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 4 since 4/26, returns tonight: 25 min (81% of 31)
CLE availability going into 5/11 · 1 day's restBACK Garland back 5/09 after 4, 25 min since (81% of 31)
NEW Strus 26 to 31 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 5/13 · 1 day's restBACK Garland back 5/09 after 4, 26 min since (85% of 31)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Haliburton at 20 and Nesmith at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Isa. Jackson (83 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 105, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Mobley at 19 a game. Without Garland (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 105 a night to Indiana's 114 and the turnovers, Indiana giving it away 14 times a game to Cleveland's 10. Call it Cleveland 117, Indiana 114, Indiana keeping it close.
4/27 @ MIL 129-103 — IND notes
IND won 129-103. IND shot 60% (50 of 83) to MIL's 42%, 18 of 39 from three. Turner led with 23 (9 of 13, 1 of 3 from three); Nembhard added 20, Haliburton 17. The hinge was Q4, 28-19: a lead of 17 became 26. Nesmith was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
4/29 vs MIL 119-118 — IND notes
IND won 119-118 in 1 overtime. IND shot 46% (43 of 93) to MIL's 46%, 12 of 33 from three. IND turned it over 12 times to MIL's 17. Haliburton led with 26 (10 of 22, 2 of 10 from three); Turner added 21, Nesmith 19. The hinge was Q2, 28-17: the deficit went from 17 to 6. IND trailed 41-47 at the half and won the second half 78-71.
5/04 @ CLE 121-112 — IND notes
IND won 121-112. IND shot 53% (44 of 83) to CLE's 46%, 19 of 36 from three. IND turned it over 16 times to CLE's 7, and CLE turned those into 8 steals. Nembhard led with 23 (7 of 10, 5 of 6 from three); Haliburton added 22, Siakam 17. The hinge was Q1, 36-25: from level to 11 ahead. Nembhard was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
5/06 @ CLE 120-119 — IND notes
IND won 120-119. IND shot 52% (44 of 85) to CLE's 43%, 11 of 28 from three, and got to the line 29 times to CLE's 35. Turner led with 23 (8 of 17, 2 of 5 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Nesmith added 23, Haliburton 19. The hinge was Q4, 36-21: IND came in trailing by 14 and left it ahead by 1. IND trailed 50-61 at the half and won the second half 70-58. Turner was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
5/09 vs CLE 104-126 — IND notes
IND lost 104-126. IND shot 44% (35 of 80) to CLE's 42%, 9 of 30 from three. The glass went 37-56 against them. Mathurin led with 23 (6 of 11, 3 of 8 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Siakam added 18, Turner 15. Q3 was theirs, 34-31, the deficit cut from 21 to 18, but the other 3 periods went 95-70 against them. Nembhard's -32 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/11 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Turner at 19 and Haliburton at 18 a game. Without Isa. Jackson (84 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 103, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Mobley at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-8 a night and Indiana minus-4 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 103 a night to Indiana's 116. Call it Cleveland 118, Indiana 114, Indiana keeping it close.
5/13 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 31 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Mobley at 16 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Turner at 18 and Haliburton at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Isa. Jackson (85 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-6 a night and Indiana minus-6 and the arc, Indiana at 41 percent from three to Cleveland's 34. Call it Cleveland 120, Indiana 113.
5/21 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 105, shooting 44 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brunson at 26 and Towns at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 4 days' rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Siakam at 18 and Haliburton at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Isa. Jackson (86 straight). 7 days' rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the arc, Indiana at 42 percent from three to New York's 33 and the glass, where New York has been plus-5 a night and Indiana minus-4. Call it New York 113, Indiana 112, Indiana keeping it close.
5/23 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 30 free throws a game; Brunson at 31 and Towns at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 27 free throws a game; Haliburton at 19 and Siakam at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Isa. Jackson (87 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-7 a night and Indiana minus-6 and the arc, Indiana at 39 percent from three to New York's 33. Call it New York 117, Indiana 115, Indiana keeping it close.
4/26 @ MIA 124-87 — CLE notes
CLE won 124-87. CLE shot 53% (46 of 86) to MIA's 42%, 15 of 40 from three, and went to the line 20 times to MIA's 10 — 17 points from the stripe to their 7. CLE turned it over 9 times to MIA's 16. The glass went 46-29 for them. Allen led with 22 (8 of 9, 6 of 6 at the line); Hunter added 21, Mobley 19. The hinge was Q1, 33-20: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 40. Hunter was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
4/28 @ MIA 138-83 — CLE notes
CLE won 138-83. CLE shot 55% (47 of 86) to MIA's 36%, 22 of 47 from three, and went to the line 25 times to MIA's 15 — 22 points from the stripe to their 9. CLE turned it over 11 times to MIA's 19. D. Mitchell led with 22 (8 of 15, 4 of 8 from three); Hunter added 19, Jerome 18. The hinge was Q1, 43-17: from level to 26 ahead, and the lead reached 60. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +42.
5/04 vs IND 112-121 — CLE notes
CLE lost 112-121. CLE took 15 more shots (98 to 83), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 46% to IND's 53%, 9 of 38 from three. CLE turned it over 7 times to IND's 16. Mitchell led with 33 (13 of 30, 1 of 11 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Jerome added 21, Mobley 20. Q2 was theirs, 33-28, the deficit cut from 11 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 93-79 against them. Mobley's -20 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
5/06 vs IND 119-120 — CLE notes
CLE lost 119-120. CLE shot 43% (39 of 90) to IND's 52%, 11 of 39 from three, and went to the line 35 times to IND's 29 — 30 points from the stripe to their 21. Mitchell led with 48 (15 of 30, 1 of 7 from three, 17 of 21 at the line); Strus added 23, Allen 22. Q1 was theirs, 32-15, but the other 3 periods went 105-87 against them. They led by as many as 20.
5/09 @ IND 126-104 — CLE notes
CLE won 126-104. CLE shot 42% (42 of 100) to IND's 44%, 14 of 47 from three. The glass went 56-37 for them. Mitchell led with 43 (14 of 29, 5 of 13 from three, 10 of 14 at the line); Strus added 20, Allen 19. The hinge was Q2, 34-13: from level to 21 ahead, and the lead reached 26. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +38.
5/11 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Turner at 19 and Haliburton at 18 a game. Without Isa. Jackson (84 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 103, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Mobley at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-8 a night and Indiana minus-4 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 103 a night to Indiana's 116. Call it Cleveland 118, Indiana 114, Indiana keeping it close.
5/13 vs IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 31 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Mobley at 16 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Turner at 18 and Haliburton at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Isa. Jackson (85 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-6 a night and Indiana minus-6 and the arc, Indiana at 41 percent from three to Cleveland's 34. Call it Cleveland 120, Indiana 113.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
JG J. Green
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TJ T. Jerome
INDAN A. Nembhard
AN A. Nesmith
BM B. Mathurin
BS B. Sheppard
JF J. Furphy
JJ J. Johnson
JW J. Walker
MT M. Turner
OT O. Toppin
PS P. Siakam
TB T. Bradley
TB T. Bryant
TH T. Haliburton
TM T. McConnell
CLE/IND the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Donovan Mitchell scores 43 and Cavaliers beat the Pacers 126-104 to cut series deficit to 2-1
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Donovan Mitchell refused to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away from the Cleveland Cavaliers .
So with home fans on their feet, expecting their Indiana Pacers to cut what had been a 24-point deficit to single digits, Mitchell took the game into his own hands. He hit a 13-foot fadeaway, then a pull-up 3-pointer and finally found Max Strus for another 3 and the Cavaliers went on to a 126-104 victory Friday night.
“I couldn't let it happen again, and it wasn't just me,” Mitchell said after finishing with 43 points and nine rebounds to cut their semifinal series deficit to 2-1. “I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. But for me, just trying to be the aggressor.”
The road team has won all three games, and the Pacers will have another chance to break that trend Sunday in Game 4.
But Cleveland was desperate to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and used everything in its arsenal to hold on Friday.
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key backup De'Andre Hutner returned from injuries after missing Game 2. All-Star guard Darius Garland also returned from a toe injury that kept him out of four straight games.
The Cavs also reverted more to the regular-season form by making 14 3-pointers, holding a 56-37 rebounding edge, even using zone defense to slow down the high-flying Pacers.
But it was Mitchell's finishing punch that stood apart.
“The first one was a selfish shot, but he needed to be selfish there — you know what I'm saying,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “He just felt like ‘I need it, I need to score this one even if it's not the perfect shot.' And that's kind of feel of the moment."
Strus made four 3s and had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a game the Cavs never trailed.
Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 23 points. Pascal Siakam had 18 and Tyrese Haliburton finished with four points and five assists — his first career home loss in a postseason game he's appeared.
“This was a very poor effort at the beginning of the game, through so many parts of the game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Clearly, I didn’t have these guys ready for this. Ty had a rough game. I have to do more to get him in better positions to have better shots.”
The most physical game of the three resulted in players routinely hitting the floor. Hunter turned into a hard shoulder after making a basket early in the second quarter, a collision that nearly knocked him down, and Mitchell took a nasty spill into the front-row seats.
Tempers also flared at times with the Pacers drawing five technical fouls. On the court, though, Cleveland controlled the game after breaking a 36-36 tie with a 25-4 run, which gave them a 66-45 halftime cushion.
Indiana closed to 104-93 early in the fourth before Mitchell and Strus led the game-sealing scoring flurry.