The first game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals kicked off with game one on Sunday night. The Pacers and the Cavaliers will look to gain a slight edge with a 1-0 lead. The first game of the series is always the game you want the team to set the tone. It will be imperative to start on a winning note. Let’s dive into the action and see which team took the early advantage of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Pacers Take Control In First Half
The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers started the first quarter off scoring back and forth after a Pascal Siakam miss from the three-point line. In the first 10 minutes both teams stayed within five points of each other until the Pacers started to pull away at the end of the first quarter. T.J. McConnell hit a driving layup at the 2:44 mark of the first quarter making it 28-25 with the blue and gold leading. The Pacers would continue to pull away with having an 11-point lead at the end of one.
The start of the second quarter would see the Cavs scoring first with Isaac Okoro making a putback layup on a Donovan Mitchell miss. The second quarter would be where the game started to be a back-and-forth battle between two heavyweights. At the 5:57 mark, Aaron Nesmith hits a three-pointer to make the game 50-42 on a Tyrese Haliburton assist. Max Strus of the Cavs would answer right back with a three-pointer of his own to make it a 50-45 game with 5:33 left in the first half. Ty Jerome would hit two free throws at the 26.7 mark making it a 64-58 game with the Pacers leading at the half.
Second Half
The scoring of the second half got started when the Pacers Aaron Nesmith hit a 26 foot three pointer with the assist coming from Haliburton. Max Strus of the Cleveland Cavaliers would answer back at the 10:04 mark of quarter three with a three-pointer of his own making it an 67-61 game. At the 7:17 mark of the third quarter Nesmith hit another three making it an 80-68 Pacers lead forcing the Cavs to take a full timeout.
It would look as if the blue and gold would be starting to pull away but the Cavs would start to mount a comeback at the 6:48 mark when Jerome hit a three-foot floating jump shot to make it an 80-70 game. The Cavs would take their first lead at the 3:16 mark with Evan Mobley hitting a hook shot from one foot out making it 85-84 with the Cavs in front. It would still be the Pacers leading at the end of three with a 92-90 lead when Myles Turner hits a buzzer-beater three-pointer.
The fourth quarter would see the blue and gold score first with Thomas Bryant making a fade away. Jerome would make a driving layup the next possession making it 94-92 at the 11:27 mark. At the 8:55 mark, the Cavs would take the lead at 97-96 with DeAndre Hunter hitting two free throws. Both teams would trade scores for the next few minutes until the 6:21 mark when Haliburton hit a three to make the score 104-102 with the Pacers leading. The blue and gold would not look back from this point on remaining on top of the scoreboard until the clock stuck zeros all across. The Pacers would win Game 1 121-112.
Final Thoughts
The Pacers took a surprising game one lead well it would be a surprise for most. The Player of the Game would have to b Haliburton with 22 points, 13 assists, and 3 rebounds in 36 minutes of play. As a team they had six players score 10+ points in the game. They will look to take an 2-0 lead when Game 2 tips off on Tuesday at 7 PM. Stay tuned to Total Apex Sports for all things NBA Playoffs.
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