Former Toronto Raptors Star Limited by Healthy Cavaliers

A healthy Evan Mobley meant the Cleveland Cavaliers were back at full strength Friday night, and there was little Pascal Siakam and the Indiana Pacers could do to stop them.

The former Toronto Raptors forward finished with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting, unable to assert himself as Cleveland’s defense smothered Indiana and cruised to a 126-104 win. Mobley’s return anchored a Cavaliers defense that held the Pacers to just 13 points in the second quarter, sparking a 21-point lead that Cleveland never relinquished.

Canadian Bennedict Mathurin tried to keep Indiana afloat, leading the team with 23 points off the bench in 28 minutes. The third-year guard attacked the rim relentlessly, hit three three-pointers, and provided one of the few offensive sparks for the Pacers.

Andrew Nembhard chipped in 10 points and four assists but was limited to just 26 minutes as Cleveland’s healthy backcourt took control early. Darius Garland’s return after a four-game absence gave the Cavaliers a boost with 10 points in 25 minutes.

With the series now 2-1, the Pacers will look to regroup on Sunday night, hoping to take a 3-1 series lead before heading back to Cleveland next week.

Gilgeous-Alexander Can't Convert in Clutch

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had two chances to play hero in Denver.

They were the kind of shots the presumptive MVP usually hits. First, he squared up Christian Braun just outside the free-throw line and launched a 21-footer that would have put Oklahoma City up by five with 37 seconds left. When that didn’t drop, he got another shot at redemption. This time, he drove past Braun to the rim in the final seconds, but once again, the shot wouldn’t fall.

The misses left the door open for the Denver Nuggets, who capitalized behind a 27-point performance from Jamal Murray to secure a 113-104 win and a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Gilgeous-Alexander struggled late, shooting just 1-for-8 from the floor in overtime as he tried to shoulder too much of the offensive load. Jalen Williams kept the Thunder within striking distance with 32 points, but it wasn’t enough to fend off Denver’s rally.

Canadian Luguentz Dort had a night to forget, fouling out in 34 minutes after shooting 0-for-4 from three and finishing with just three points.

Oklahoma City will now look to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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