Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton makes insane block to set up Bennedict Mathurin bucket

The Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers faced on on Tuesday night in Game 2 of their second-round series. Tyrese Haliburton and Co. walked away with a 121-112 win in Game 1, stealing home court away from the Cavaliers. He and the Pacers came out seeking another win to go back home up 2-0 with a chance to finish things on their home floor.

Their All-Star point guard made a great defensive play in the fourth quarter, blocking Sam Merrill’s three-point attempt and kicking the ball to Bennedict Mathurin, who finished the play with a layup at the other end. That play was just part of a run put together by Indiana as they tried to come back from a 14-point deficit at the start of the final period.

Stars on both teams shone in Game 2, with Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell scoring enough for himself and the injured Darius Garland. The Cavaliers limped into the second game of the series, playing Tuesday’s game without Garland, DeAndre Hunter, or Evan Mobley as they looked to even up the series at one game apiece.

Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers, but didn’t do it as a scorer. He ran the offense, scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds to go along with his highlight-reel block. On big scoring nights from Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith, though, Haliburton is content simply being a connecting piece in one of the league’s best offenses.

Both teams are vying for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals and the right to take on the winner of the Boston Celtics-New York Knicks series. The Cavaliers were the East’s best team throughout the season behind their trio of stars while the Pacers fought throughout the season to secure the fourth seed.

Both teams battled to the bitter end in an important Game 2, with Indiana stealing another road game to send the series to home with a 2-0 lead.