CLEVELAND — Down 53-40 at halftime and All-Star Tyrese Haliburton ruled out with a left hamstring injury, the Indiana Pacers rallied in the second half to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 108-93, on Sunday night.
It was an amazing turnaround for Indiana which turned the tables with a 68-45 surge in the third and fourth quarters. The unexpected run was powered by a 46.7 percent clip from the field (43-of-92) and 15 made threes.
Cavs coach Kenny Akinson appreciated the fire that was lit under the Pacers’ belly.
“Once Haliburton went out of the game they just picked us up,” Atkinson told reporters. “They got into us, it was like full-court press, which you don’t see. It was a real good trategy and we didn’t handle it well,” added Atkinson who also credited Pacers coach Ric Carlisle.
Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 19 points and four assists while Pascal Siakam added 18 and nine boards. Mike Turned chipped 15 points and 10 boards as Indiana handed Cleveland only its second home loss in 22 games.
The total team effort also saw Bernard Mathurin and Obi Toppin combine for 24 points to help Indiana improve to 22-18 for the season.
Darius Garland was the main man for the Cavs with 20 points while All-Star guard Donovon Mitchell finished with 19. The twin towers of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley strung together 27 points and 21 rebounds.
But it wasn’t enough for the league-leading Cavaliers (33-6) who hit only 33 of their 83 field goals.
