Former Raptors Forward Lifts Pacers in Blowout Victory Over Cavaliers

Pascal Siakam set the tone early, and the Indiana Pacers never looked back.

The former Toronto Raptors forward poured in 12 of his 21 points in the first half, including two three-pointers, as Indiana stormed out to a commanding lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to a 129-109 blowout win on Sunday.

Siakam barely needed to play in the second half, with the Pacers holding a 40-point halftime lead that ballooned to as much as 44 after a pair of free throws from Siakam in the third. He finished the night shooting 9-for-10 from the field, adding six rebounds and three assists in just 21 minutes.

Canadian guard Andrew Nembhard was in full facilitator mode, handing out seven assists to go along with seven points and three rebounds in 30 minutes. The Pacers’ ball movement and hot three-point shooting overwhelmed the Cavaliers, who lost Donovan Mitchell in the second half due to a left ankle injury.

Bennedict Mathurin saw just one minute of action before being ejected in the first quarter. The Canadian guard was assessed a flagrant 2 after delivering a punch to De’Andre Hunter’s chest, leading to a brief scuffle that saw Hunter shove Mathurin to the ground.

With the win, Indiana takes a 3-1 series lead, putting the Cavaliers on the brink of elimination as the series shifts back to Cleveland for Game 5.

Gilgeous-Alexander Comes Through in 4th

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally delivered in the fourth.

The Canadian guard scored nine of his 25 points in the final quarter, propelling the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 92-87 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 on Sunday. The victory evened the series at 2-2, a crucial bounce-back after Gilgeous-Alexander’s missed clutch opportunities in Friday’s overtime loss.

It wasn’t a flawless night for Gilgeous-Alexander, who shot just 8-for-19 from the field and missed three straight shots in the final two minutes. But his smooth layup around Christian Braun and Nikola Jokic put the Thunder up by seven with two minutes remaining, giving Oklahoma City the cushion it needed to hold on.

Luguentz Dort’s offensive woes continued as the Canadian guard shot just 2-for-10 from three-point range. He’s now shooting 25.5% from deep in the playoffs, struggling to provide consistent scoring for OKC.

Jamal Murray was limited to 17 points as the Thunder’s defensive trio of Dort, Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso hounded the Canadian guard throughout the night. Nikola Jokic added 27 points and 13 rebounds, but the Thunder defense swarmed the MVP finalist, limiting his playmaking and holding Denver to just 7-for-32 shooting from behind the arc.

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