CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are four wins away from advancing to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2018 and their first without Akron native LeBron James since 1992.
Yet, the top-seeded Cavs face a 1-0 series deficit against the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the playoff round in which Cleveland fell 4-1 last year to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.
The Cavs lost 121-112 to the Pacers in Game 1 on Sunday, May 4, at Rocket Arena.
Here is how the opening game between the Cavs and Pacers unfolded through our updates:
Cavs lose 121-112 to Pacers in Game 1
The Cavs had problems keeping up with the Pacers’ elite transition offense, and Indiana also had an incredible shooting performance.
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The Pacers went 44-of-83 shooting from the field (53%), including 19 of 36 on 3-pointers (52.8%). The Cavs went 45-of-98 shooting (45.9%), including 9 of 38 on 3s (23.7%).
Guards Andrew Nembhard and Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Haliburton added 13 assists for a double-double. Center Myles Turner also produced a double-double (13 points and 12 rebounds).
Guard Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 33 points for the Cavs, followed by guard Ty Jerome with 21 points and forward Evan Mobley with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Cavaliers fall behind Pacers 112-106 with 3:23 left in the fourth quarter
The Cavs continue to be torched by the Pacers’ scorching 3-point shooting and trail 112-106 with 3:32 left in the fourth quarter. The Pacers are shooting 4-of-8 on 3-pointers thus far in the final quarter.
After the Cavs took a 102-101 lead when small forward Max Strus split two free throws with 7:05 remaining, the Pacers got successful 3-pointers from guard Tyrese Haliburton and two from guard Andrew Nembhard. A putback by center Myles Turner gave the Pacers a six-point lead with 3:23 remaining and forced a Cavs timeout.
De’Andre Hunter falls hard on drive to basket against Bennedict Mathurin, but the play is deemed a clean block
Cavs wing De’Andre Hunter drove to the basket on a fast break off a steal by guard Ty Jerome. Hunter was met near the rim by Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin. The original call on the floor was a blocked shot by Mathurin, and it stood after a replay review with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter.
At the time, the Cavs led 99-98.
After Game 1, coach Kenny Atkinson said Hunter is among the Cavs players who got banged up.
Cavs, Pacers score in Game 1: Indiana takes 2-point lead into fourth quarter
The Pacers nicely took the Cavs’ bench punch, and Indiana will take a 92-90 lead into the fourth quarter via a corner 3 from Myles Turner at the buzzer.
Donovan Mitchell is a man on a mission right now, though he does look gassed. Mitchell is up to a game-high 27 points, and spent most of the final minutes of the third quarter driving to the rim and directing traffic on both offense and defense. The Cavs subbed him out with a minute left, and Mitchell had his hands on his head trying to get some air after the all-out performance that brought the Cavs back.
Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley lead Cavs back; Cavaliers retake lead over Pacers in Game 1
The Cavs have stormed back, and once again, it was all Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.
Mitchell came away with a steal that led to two free throws. The next time down the floor, he took the ball around the elbow, split a few Pacers defenders and finished the play with a dunk to make it a one-point deficit.
Dean Wade applied some stingy defense to Pascal Siakam, which led to a miss. On the next possession, with Rocket Arena coming to life, Evan Mobley followed with a Cavs miss with a putback layup, and the Cavs have taken an 85-84 lead with 3:16 left in the third quarter, erasing what was once a 12-point Indiana advantage.
Aaron Nesmith hits back-to-back 3s; Pacers lead Cavs by 12 in third quarter
The Pacers are using their five-out offense and spacing to find some really good looks, and they’ve made those open shots count.
The latest examples are both from Aaron Nesmith, who just buried back-to-back 3s to make it an 80-68 Indiana lead with 7:17 left in the third quarter.
Collectively, the Pacers have hit 13 of their 22 3s tonight. That is likely an unsustainable pace, but it should be noted that many of those attempts were open 3s. Indiana has had the Cavs scrambling on defense.
Jarrett Allen dunks on Myles Turner in Cavs-Pacers Game 1
Jarrett Allen just threw down a thunderous dunk on Myles Turner of the Pacers, but the Cavs crowd also wanted the whistle for some contact that left Allen down for a few moments.
Allen rose up over Turner and dunked it over him early in the third quarter. After some contact, Allen hit the floor hard and appeared to be in some discomfort, but no whistle was blown. Allen remained down for a moment as the Pacers in-bounded the ball.
Allen is remaining in the game.
Evan Mobley alley-oop cuts into Pacers lead in third quarter of Game 1
The Cavs have cut Indiana’s lead to 67-63 early in the third quarter.
Max Strus buried a 3-pointer and on the next possession found Evan Mobley for an alley-oop dunk, bringing the score to a four-point game.
Mobley has been efficient tonight with 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor.
Pacers lead Cavs 64-58 at halftime
Well, the Pacers proved in the first half they’re not the Miami Heat. As the Cavs anticipated, the Pacers will present a significantly more difficult matchup than the Heat were in the first round.
The Cavs trailed the Pacers 64-58 at halftime. Indiana’s elite transition offense repeatedly generated good looks, and the Pacers often capitalized in the first half, going 24-of-40 shooting from the floor (60%), including 9 of 15 on 3-pointers (60%).
By comparison, the Cavs went 25-of-51 shooting from the field (49%), including 5 of 20 on 3s (25%).
The Pacers outrebounded the Cavs 19-18 in the first half. The Pacers outscored the Cavs 8-3 in fast-break points.
All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell had 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field (1 of 6 on 3s) to lead the Cavs in the first half. All-Star forward Evan Mobley had 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor but just two rebounds. Guard Ty Jerome came off the bench and scored 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor to go along with five assists.
All-Star forward Pascal Siakam had 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor (2 of 3 on 3s) and five rebounds in the first half. Guard Andrew Nembhard had 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field (2 of 3 on 3s). Guard Tyrese Haliburton had nine points and six assists.
Cavs cut Pacers’ lead to 58-54 with 2:06 left in the second quarter
The Cavs trailed the Pacers 58-54 during a timeout with 2:06 left in the second quarter. Cleveland has actually outscored Indiana 29-22 thus far in the second quarter, but it hasn’t completely dug out of the 11-point hole it encountered at the end of the opening quarter.
Pacers All-Star forward Pascal Siakam started hot and leads Indiana with 13 points so far, yet he airballed a jump shot with Cavs center Jarrett Allen contesting it with 2:16 remaining before halftime.
Then Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell made a jump shot to cut Cleveland’s deficit to four points with 2:06 left in the second quarter. Mitchell had a game-high 15 points at this juncture.
As expected, guard Ty Jerome gave the Cavs a boost in the second quarter. He has scored seven of his nine points in the quarter.
Cavaliers having trouble with Pacers’ pace and trail 45-35 with 8:06 left in the second quarter
It’s been a common theme. The Cavs will make a bucket, and the Pacers will quickly answer with a basket of their own on the other end of the floor.
The Cavs trailed the Pacers 45-35 during a timeout with 8:06 left in the second quarter, and Indiana’s pace has been giving Cleveland trouble.
The Pacers are getting good looks in their half-court offense, too, despite the Cavs deploying a zone defense at times.
At this stage of the game, the Pacers were shooting 18-of-28 from the floor (64.3%), including 6 of 9 on 3-pointers (66.7%). The Cavs were shooting 16-of-34 from the field (47.1%), including 3 of 15 on 3s (20%).
Cavs trail Pacers by double digits after first quarter
That was a tremendous first quarter for the Pacers, who executed their offense and stifled the Cavs to the tune of a 36-25 lead heading to the second quarter.
The Cavs never looked comfortable on offense, and strangely had two instances of running into one another, the last one leading to an easy Obi Toppin dunk.
Indiana hit six of their nine 3-point attempts in the quarter. The Pacers have done well to find their shot, and they haven’t missed much. Even without Tyrese Haliburton off the floor and getting some rest, the Pacers out-scored the Cavs 10-2.
Donovan Mitchell had nine points in the quarter but also missed his last three shots. The Cavs hit just three of their 12 3-point attempts.
NBA playoffs: Cavaliers, Pacers Game 1 score update
The Pacers are leading 26-23 with 3:20 left in the first quarter.
T.J. McConnell of the Pacers received a pass in the corner. Max Strus basically dared him to shoot it, McConnell did, and that 3 extended Indiana’s lead.
Ty Jerome followed with a floater thanks to a screen set by Dean Wade, which knocked McConnell off his route enough to give Jerome some space.
Cavs, Pacers score in Game 1: Indiana up early in Cleveland
While Tyrese Haliburton often receives a lot of the credit and attention for the Pacers’ success, Atkinson was quick to note that it’s Pascal Siakam, not Haliburton, who is Indiana’s top scorer. That’s clearly been the case early, as Siakam and Donovan Mitchell are in a duel of sorts.
Siakam already has a game-high 10 points, and the Pacers are up on the Cavs 16-14 with 6:30 to go in the first quarter. The Pacers, using a five-out offense, have been able to find enough space for some good looks to open the series.
For the Cavs, Mitchell already has nine points on 4-for-5 shooting from the floor, and Evan Mobley has five points.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavs next game
Game 2 of the series will take place on Tuesday, May 6 at 7 p.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers playoffs: Cavs vs Pacers features matchup of All-Star forwards Evan Mobley and Pascal Siakam
Cavs injury report
The Cavs initially listed All-Star point guard Darius Garland (sprained left big toe) as questionable to play in Game 1, but they later ruled him out about an hour before tipoff. Sam Merrill will enter the starting lineup.
Cleveland Cavaliers injury news: Cavs rule out Darius Garland for Game 1 vs. Pacers
Pacers injury report
The Pacers ruled out forward Isaiah Jackson (torn right Achilles tendon).
Keys for Cleveland Cavs in second round: ‘Head of the snake’: Cavaliers and Pacers face off in NBA playoffs
What is the playoff history between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers?
The Cavs entered Game 1 with a record of 104-111 against the Pacers, including 1-3 in the 2024-25 regular season.
In the playoffs, the Cavs are 9-6 against the Pacers.
Here is a breakdown of the previous three series the two teams have shared:
- 2018: James and the Cavs got past the Pacers in the first round, but it took seven games. The Cavs ultimately were swept 4-0 by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
- 2017: Coming off Cleveland’s 2016 NBA title and led by James, the Cavs swept the Pacers 4-0 in the first round. The Cavs eventually lost 4-1 to the Warriors in the NBA Finals.
- 1998: The Cavs fell 3-1 to the Pacers in Round 1. The Pacers were eventually eliminated by the Chicago Bulls in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Michael Jordan and the Bulls then beat the Utah Jazz 4-2 in the NBA Finals.
How did the Cleveland Cavs advance to meet the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals?
The Cavs swept the No. 8 seed Miami in the first round.
The Cavs outscored the Heat by a combined 122 points in the four-game series. It’s the largest point differential in any playoff series in NBA history.
The Cavs prevailed 138-83 in Game 4 in Miami. The 55-point win is the fourth-largest margin of victory in NBA playoff history, and it’s a record for the largest margin of victory in any postseason series-clinching game. The Cavs have never scored more points in a playoff game.
How did the Indiana Pacers advance to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals?
The Pacers defeated the No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 in the first round.
The decisive Game 5 featured a wild ending. The Pacers trailed 118-111 with 40 seconds left in overtime, but they ended the game on an 8-0 run to prevail 119-118.
After Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton made a game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds left and final horn sounded, his father, John Haliburton, walked onto the court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and confronted Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Haliburton’s dad later apologized, but the Pacers still told him to stay away from their home and road games for the foreseeable future.
Cavs playoff schedule: Eastern Conference semifinals vs. Pacers
- Game 1: Pacers at Cavs — 6 p.m. Sunday, May 4, TNT
- Game 2: Pacers at Cavs — 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, TNT
- Game 3: Cavs at Pacers — 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 9, ESPN
- Game 4: Cavs at Pacers — 8 p.m. Sunday, May 11, TNT
- Game 5: Pacers at Cavs — time TBD, Tuesday, May 13 (if necessary), TNT
- Game 6: Cavs at Pacers — time TBD, Thursday, May 15 (if necessary), ESPN
- Game 7: Pacers at Cavs — time TBD, Sunday, May 18 (if necessary), TV TBD
NBA playoff bracket: Eastern Conference first round
NBA playoff bracket: Eastern Conference second round
- No. 1 seed Cavaliers vs. No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers
- No. 2 seed Boston Celtics vs. No. 3 seed New York Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers broadcast information. How can I watch on TV, listen on radio or stream Cavs vs Pacers in Game 1 of second round?
Game 1 can be watched nationally on TNT. It can be heard on the radio via WMMS (100.7-FM) and WTAM (1100-AM).
