It's March, so it was only fitting that Tyrese Halliburton and the Pacers had trouble on their minds at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
Halliburton scored 16 points in the third quarter and helped Indiana extend an eight-point lead over the former rival Cavaliers.
But the fourth quarter belonged to Darius Garland. The Cavs' All-Star guard scored 21 of his game-high 41 points in the final frame and put Cleveland (38-27) ahead of Indiana (22-45), 127-124. He hit game-ceiling free throws and also made 13 assists as the Cavs won the season series with the Blue and Gold for the first time since 2007–08.
Halliburton led the Pacers on 9-of-14 shooting (4-of-7 from 3-point range) with 25 points and nine assists.
But Garland and a critical late mistake doomed Indiana to a fourth straight loss to Cleveland.
Trailing eight as he entered the final frame, Cleveland quickly erased that deficit. The Cavs opened the frame with a 9-0 run, taking the lead on two Garland free throws less than two minutes into the quarter.
The lead changed hands four times over the next two minutes. Garland was eventually able to give the Cavaliers a small cushion with five straight points and continued to play for Cleveland after playing.
He overtook Dean Wade for an open three to push Cleveland's lead to five with 6:20, reached the rim a minute later to push the lead to seven, then a trio of Buddy Heald to keep the Pacers. responded to. at arm's length.
But the pacers did not fold. Another three by Heald and a slam from Jalen Smith reduced the deficit to 120-117 with 2:59 remaining. Held then drove and kicked Smith for game-tying three with 1:41 remaining.
After missing at the other end of Evan Mobley, Malcolm Brogdon reached the rim for a go-forward layup as the clock struck 1:00. After a time out, the Cavs moved back to Garland, who converted a hard finish on Smith.
Once again, Brogdon reached the rim and this time Mobley scored on his own effort, leaving the Pacers in front with 40 seconds to play. But after pausing briefly to review the call, Garland got down to the floor. His layup fell off the front of the rim, but Mobli was there to put it back up and was left with 33.6 seconds.
After a timeout, Brogdon overtook Wade, but his shot was swung to the rim by Lamar Stevens. A confused Smith then fouled Garland, not realizing the Cavaliers were in bonus. The All-Star guard hit both foul shots and then Brogdon reversed it at the other end to seal Indiana's fate.
"It was just a bad game on my part," Smith said of the mental error. "My team did such a good job fighting back and I threw all that foul. Obviously I take full responsibility for that, but at the end of the day you have to learn from it and move on. But it's not a minute or so." is going to sting."
Eight pacers ended in double digits in losses. Goga Bitadze, Smith and Duane Washington Jr. each scored 15, while Heald added 14 points on 4-of-4 3-point shooting and eight assists.
The Pacers made five turnovers in the first four minutes on Tuesday, giving the Cavs a 14-5 lead. Cleveland led as 12 in the frame, but Blue & Gold came back behind their second unit.
Rookie guard Chris Duarte, back on the court after missing the previous three games with a toe injury, scored six quick points off the bench, and then Bitadez fired a 3-pointer to reduce Indiana's deficit to 26-22. added.
After two Laurie Markkanan free throws, Bitadze wrestled a rebound away from Kevin Love and scored to bring Indiana back to within four. But the Cavs responded, with Garland throwing a lob to Mobley for a slam at the other end and then tipping in love Markkennon made his next trip down the floor to give the visitors a 32-24 lead after one. remembered.
The Pacers scored another run at the start of the second quarter, putting together a 10-1 lead - capped by a 3-pointer from Heald, who tied the game at 37. The Cavaliers responded quickly to advance back with five straight points, but the pacers remained within striking distance thanks to rookie guard Washington.
The former Ohio State Buckeye scored 14 points in the first 6:15 of the second quarter, including seven straight Indiana points in one go.
The Pacers tied the game again with 3:45 remaining in the half after a memorable sequence, where Isaiah Jackson caught Rajon Rondo's floater with one hand, then initiated a fastbreak that Halliburton ended with an acrobatic layup. did.
The Cavs once again took a four-point lead, but the pacers scored four points in the final 40 seconds to extend the score to 63 at halftime.
At the beginning of the second half, Halliburton came to life. The 22-year-old guard dropped a jumper on Indiana's first possession of the third quarter, added another at 9:52, then did a three-drill at 8:58. Joining O'Shea Brissette for a layoff, Halliburton drained another tray at 7:33 to give Indiana a 78-73 lead.
After a timeout, he connected with Jackson on a lob, then added a sprinter at 5:25 and another three at 4:49. The Pacers continued to extend their lead, with back-to-back 3-pointers from Smith and Bitadze pushing Indiana's lead to 97-88, with 1:38 remaining in the third quarter.
Halliburton dropped one of two free throws with 20.3 seconds to cap a 16-point quarter, but Stevens' dunk at the other end made it a 98-90 game to go into the fourth.
hang time 🤙 pic.twitter.com/LKPZFSd4jO
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 9, 2022
"The guys really played their butts," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said after the game. "After a poor start, we stopped and grinded our way to make it close to halftime and give ourselves the lead. He scored a run in the fourth. In the middle of the fourth, we scored a run to take the lead. We just fell victim to a great player, we had a hard time keeping under control all night."
Jackson finished with 12 points on eight boards and three blocks in a loss, shooting 6-7. Duarte added 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
Mobley finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and five steals for Cleveland, while Markkanen added 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
The Pacers will have three days off before resuming action with a two-game road trip over the weekend visiting San Antonio on Saturday and Atlanta on Sunday.
Inside numbers
Halliburton's 25 points were his highest as a fast bowler. He crossed the 20-point mark for the seventh time in 11 games since being traded to Indiana.
The Pacers had a distinct advantage ahead of a 3-point arc on Tuesday. Indiana went 16-for-32, while the Cavaliers were just 9-for-32.
Brogdon recorded his sixth double-double of the season and matched his season high with 12 assists.
Cleveland led Indiana 70–52 in the paint.
You can quote me on that
"It's on us. He's on the coaching staff. We have to make sure the people in that position understand the situation completely. Something like this happens... It's a kid who really cares a lot. I told him Said, 'Look, we're going to learn from this. You can mourn it for about 10 minutes if you want, and then you have to forget about it.'" - Carlisle on Smith's Late Foul
"We just have to stick together, keep bringing positive energy, and believe in each other at the highest level. I think we move away from it a little bit at the end of the Games and that's when we need to come together." and also." -Washington on staying positive in times of crisis
He said, "One pair played aggressively, the crowd got into it. We got the ball out of Garland's hands several times, some came up with loose balls, some good stuff going into transition. We had some time to spare. There was an edge for us. In those situations, it just comes to a critical point which we were unable to achieve." - Carlisle on the Pacers' fight in the fourth quarter
"Obviously, [he] had a hell of a year. There's someone who's the same age as me and doing good things in this league. We have a great relationship, so it's great to see him do good things. I see I'm going to move on to those battles with the passage of time. He's an all-star and is more than likely one The look is going to push me." - Halliburton on Duel with Garland
Night status
The Pacers had 18 turnovers in Cleveland's seven and the Cavaliers dismissed Indiana 23-4 in point-of-turnovers.
Significantly
- Lance Stephenson missed his second straight game and fourth of the last six with an ankle injury.
- Tuesday's game was the second time this season that eight fast bowlers scored in double digits. It first happened on January 26 against Charlotte.
- Cavaliers guard Caris Levert, who traded Indiana to Cleveland on February 6, did not play against her former team on Tuesday due to a sprained right leg.
Next
The Pacers head to San Antonio to take on DeJonte Murray and the Spurs on Saturday, March 12 at 8:00 p.m. ET.