Pacers Humiliate Cavaliers with Record-Tying Halftime Lead
The Indiana Pacers didn’t just beat the Cavaliers in Game 4—they walked all over them. By halftime, the Pacers had built a jaw-dropping 41-point lead, tying an NBA playoff record and leaving a stunned home crowd in disbelief. Tyrese Haliburton acted like he owned the court, dropping 31 points, dishing 8 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds. Every time the Pacers needed a highlight, he supplied it, blending pinpoint shooting and slick passing to dismantle Cleveland’s defense.
On the other end, Myles Turner was a one-man blockade. Five blocks in a single game? The Cavs just couldn’t get anything easy near the basket. Indiana’s defense set the tone early—every shot felt contested, every drive led to trouble. The Pacers didn’t slow down after the break either, squashing any flicker of a Cavaliers comeback with a ruthless 33-20 third quarter that featured a back-breaking 19-2 run.
Cleveland’s Rough Night Gets Worse with Injuries
For the Cavaliers, nothing seemed to go right. They limped into this game already hurting—Donovan Mitchell tried to rally the team despite a bothersome ankle, and Darius Garland fought through a painful big toe sprain. Mitchell gave it everything in the second half, gutting out jumpers and driving like his season depended on it, but he was clearly hampered. Cleveland’s outside shooting was ice cold all night—clanking three-pointer after three-pointer, while Indiana’s defenders closed every gap.
Garland’s limited mobility meant the Cavs struggled to organize on offense. Their bench players looked lost, unable to fill the scoring void. For a team that notched 64 wins in the regular season and grabbed the No. 1 seed in the East, this second-round flop stings. The loss marked Cleveland’s earliest playoff exit in five years, and the franchise now faces a summer full of hard questions.
The Pacers, riding high off their Game 4 demolition and two earlier road wins, barely had to look back. Now they head to their second straight Eastern Conference Finals, brimming with confidence and momentum. The next challenge? The winner between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. With Haliburton in control and Turner protecting the rim, Indiana feels more than ready to crash the NBA’s biggest stage once again.
