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CLEVELAND -- Andrew Nembhard scored 23 points and Tyrese Haliburton scored 22 to go with 13 assists to lead the Pacers to a 121-112 win over the Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday at Rocket Arena.
The Pacers take a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 coming 7 p.m., Tuesday in Cleveland.
Forwards Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith scored 17 points each. Center Myles Turner had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points to lead the Cavs. Ty Jerome added 21 and Evan Mobley scored 20.
Here are three observations.
The Pacers not only lost in some of the key areas that usually determine the winner of a game, they lost them decisively.
The Cavaliers outscored the Pacers 70-38 in the paint. They grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to the Pacers' seven and finished with 21 second chance points to the Pacers' four. The Pacers committed 17 turnovers to the Cavaliers' eight and the Cavs scored 22 points off turnovers to the Pacers' nine.
But the difference Sunday was the 3-ball, and it was a dramatic difference.
The Pacers made 19-of-36 3-pointers and got outside shot contributions from up and down the lineup. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith combined for nine between them — more to come on those two. Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam hit two each. Myles Turner hit one, but it was a big one — a buzzer beater just before the end of the third quarter that stopped a significant Cavaliers run. Bennedict Mathurin hit 3-of-5 off the bench and guard T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin each added one.
Meanwhile, the Cavs were frigid from outside, making just 9-of-38 3s. Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points but was 1-of-11 from outside. Sharpshooters Max Strus and Sam Merrill combined to go 4-of-13. Evan Mobley was a respectable 2-of-5, but the bench was a combined 2-of-9.
Since they arrived together in the summer of 2022 — Andrew Nembhard by way of the draft as a second-round pick, Aaron Nesmith in the trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics — Nembhard and Nesmith have been quiet but reliable especially in big moments and both were exceptional in the first round of the playoffs against the Bucks. Nembhard averaged 15.0 points per game on 49.2% shooting and 50% 3-point shooting to go with 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game with a critical steal and 3-pointer in overtime of the Pacers' overtime comeback. Nesmith averaged 14.8 points per game on 53.8% shooting including 51.9% from 3 and also grabbed 6.4 rebounds per game. He had a game-changing block against the Bucks in Game 4 and posted a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double in Game 5.
Both were back at it in Game 1 against the Cavs, and they were especially sharp from beyond the 3-point arc. Nesmith shot 5-of-8 from the floor including 4-of-6 from 3-point range for 17 points. In one sequence, he blocked a 3-pointer by Mitchell and hit a 3-pointer of his own on the other end.
Nembhard, meanwhile, scored 23 points on 7-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from 3-point range.
Tyrese Haliburton chastised himself early in the Bucks series for passing the ball out too much on drives to the paint and ended up winning that series with his drives to the rim in Game 5.
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Haliburton made a point of establishing his paint game early, and showed a willingness to put up floaters even when met with big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the lane. He scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He hit 2-of-6 3-pointers, but also made four field goals in the paint and was obviously 7-of-9 from 2-point range.
As usual, he was phenomenal as a distributor. Haliburton dished out 13 assists against just one turnovers. He also turned up his defensive game, recording three blocks and a steal.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Cavaliers: Indiana wins Game 1 on road to start NBA playoffs series
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The Pacers take a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 coming 7 p.m., Tuesday in Cleveland.
Forwards Pascal Siakam and Aaron Nesmith scored 17 points each. Center Myles Turner had 13 points and 12 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points to lead the Cavs. Ty Jerome added 21 and Evan Mobley scored 20.
Here are three observations.
Pacers win 3-point battle on both ends
The Pacers not only lost in some of the key areas that usually determine the winner of a game, they lost them decisively.
The Cavaliers outscored the Pacers 70-38 in the paint. They grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to the Pacers' seven and finished with 21 second chance points to the Pacers' four. The Pacers committed 17 turnovers to the Cavaliers' eight and the Cavs scored 22 points off turnovers to the Pacers' nine.
But the difference Sunday was the 3-ball, and it was a dramatic difference.
The Pacers made 19-of-36 3-pointers and got outside shot contributions from up and down the lineup. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith combined for nine between them — more to come on those two. Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam hit two each. Myles Turner hit one, but it was a big one — a buzzer beater just before the end of the third quarter that stopped a significant Cavaliers run. Bennedict Mathurin hit 3-of-5 off the bench and guard T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin each added one.
Meanwhile, the Cavs were frigid from outside, making just 9-of-38 3s. Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points but was 1-of-11 from outside. Sharpshooters Max Strus and Sam Merrill combined to go 4-of-13. Evan Mobley was a respectable 2-of-5, but the bench was a combined 2-of-9.
Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith buoy Pacers on both ends
Since they arrived together in the summer of 2022 — Andrew Nembhard by way of the draft as a second-round pick, Aaron Nesmith in the trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics — Nembhard and Nesmith have been quiet but reliable especially in big moments and both were exceptional in the first round of the playoffs against the Bucks. Nembhard averaged 15.0 points per game on 49.2% shooting and 50% 3-point shooting to go with 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game with a critical steal and 3-pointer in overtime of the Pacers' overtime comeback. Nesmith averaged 14.8 points per game on 53.8% shooting including 51.9% from 3 and also grabbed 6.4 rebounds per game. He had a game-changing block against the Bucks in Game 4 and posted a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double in Game 5.
Both were back at it in Game 1 against the Cavs, and they were especially sharp from beyond the 3-point arc. Nesmith shot 5-of-8 from the floor including 4-of-6 from 3-point range for 17 points. In one sequence, he blocked a 3-pointer by Mitchell and hit a 3-pointer of his own on the other end.
Nembhard, meanwhile, scored 23 points on 7-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from 3-point range.
Tyrese Haliburton gets going with floater game
Tyrese Haliburton chastised himself early in the Bucks series for passing the ball out too much on drives to the paint and ended up winning that series with his drives to the rim in Game 5.
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Haliburton made a point of establishing his paint game early, and showed a willingness to put up floaters even when met with big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in the lane. He scored 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He hit 2-of-6 3-pointers, but also made four field goals in the paint and was obviously 7-of-9 from 2-point range.
As usual, he was phenomenal as a distributor. Haliburton dished out 13 assists against just one turnovers. He also turned up his defensive game, recording three blocks and a steal.
Get IndyStar's Pacers coverage sent directly to your inbox with the Pacers Update newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Cavaliers: Indiana wins Game 1 on road to start NBA playoffs series
Continue reading...
