CLEVELAND — Tyrese Haliburton didn’t just play basketball on May 4, 2025. He owned the court, sparking a furious fourth-quarter rally that turned a tight game into a 121-112 Indiana Pacers victory over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The young point guard, often whispered about as overrated by some peers, answered with a performance that left the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd stunned and silent.
The game was a dogfight early. Cleveland, riding the momentum of a perfect playoff run so far, leaned on Donovan Mitchell’s 28 points and Evan Mobley’s rim-rattling dunks. Indiana countered with Pascal Siakam, who bullied his way to 19 points, and Andrew Nembhard, who dropped 23 off the bench with a cool-headed efficiency. The Pacers shot a blistering 52.8% from three, sinking 19 of 36 attempts, but it was Haliburton’s late-game heroics that flipped the script.
With the score knotted and under eight minutes left, Haliburton drained a go-ahead three-pointer that sucked the air out of the arena. He wasn’t done. The 25-year-old dished out 13 assists, nabbed three blocks, and made critical defensive stops, including a chase-down swat on Dean Wade that had the Pacers’ bench leaping. His 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting were the backbone of Indiana’s closing 15-6 run, a stretch where Cleveland’s defense crumbled under Haliburton’s relentless pace.
The Cavaliers, despite their No. 1 seed, couldn’t match Indiana’s energy down the stretch. De’Andre Hunter’s blocked shot by Bennedict Mathurin in the second half was a highlight, but Cleveland’s miscues—16 turnovers, including a costly one by Sam Merrill—piled up. Siakam, fouled hard by Merrill in the first half, kept attacking, helping Indiana maintain a lead despite Cleveland’s surges.
Haliburton, all wiry frame and quiet swagger, orchestrated the offense with a veteran’s poise. His ability to read the floor, find open shooters, and still lock in defensively turned a potential upset into a statement. The Pacers, often overlooked in a stacked East, walked off with homecourt advantage and a 1-0 series lead.
Game 2 is set for May 6 in Cleveland. The Cavaliers will look to regroup, while Indiana aims to keep the pressure on. For now, the night belongs to Haliburton and a Pacers team that refused to blink.