Indiana Pacers Top Cavs (135-126) As Buddy Hield Hit 11 3s

 

Bennedict Mathurin had 23 points, Nesmith had 22, and Myles Turner had 14 to help Indiana stop a five-game losing streak over the Cavaliers.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points and Buddy Hield added 25 as the Indiana Pacers defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 135-126 on Thursday night. Hield, who leads the NBA in 3-pointers, was 5 for 6 while Haliburton was 6 for 8. The Pacers made 19 of 31 attempts from beyond the arc.

Indiana fell behind by seven points in the fourth quarter before recovering. With only 4:26 remaining, Hield fed Nesmith for the game winning slam, giving the Pacers a 120-119 advantage. On the next possession, Haliburton executed a three-point play, and the Pacers never trailed again. 

Their coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, whose team ranks first in the league in fewest points allowed per game at 105.5, urged them to focus on defense because that is what the game was all about. They choose to play Indiana Pacers basketball because that is their strength

Benedict Mathurin had 23 points and Myles Turner had 14 as Indiana snapped a five-game losing streak to the Cavaliers, who had lost three straight. All Star guard, Donovan Mitchell led a balanced Cleveland offence with seven double-digit scorers with 28 points. Mitchell hit five of the Cavaliers' 12 three-point attempts. Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen both had 19 points for Cleveland, and All-Star guard Darius Garland finished with 18 points and eight assists.

The 3-point onslaught started only three seconds in, when the opening tip was batted directly to Hield, who pivoted and swished the fastest 3-pointer recorded since play-by-play began in 1996-97. The Pacers shot 9 of 15 from beyond the arc in the first half, while the cavaliers shot only 7 of 14. At Halftime, cavaliers lead 68-64.

Donovan Mitchell scored 18 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. With 3:41 remaining, Mitchell hit his seventh 3-pointer of the game, putting Cleveland up 112-110.

Indiana had taken its highest lead of the game, 103-90, earlier in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Aaron Nesmith. The Cavaliers outscored the Pacers 35-18 in the fourth quarter, preventing Indiana from making a field goal in the last 5:42. Cleveland advanced to 13-2 at Rocket Mortgage Field House, tied for the best home record in the NBA with Memphis.

 

The 28-9 game-winning run came after a scuffle between Mitchell and Pacers youngster Benedict Mathurin, who both clutched the ball after a whistle. After a foul was called on Mitchell, their arms remained entwined for over 30 seconds, but no words were said.

Hield was nearly perfect from outside the arc in Thursday's win, scoring 15 of 25 points from beyond the arc while at the same time contributing elsewhere. Throughout the month of December, the Oklahoma product has been blistering hot from three, averaging 4.2 made three point per game at a 52.5 percent clip over 15 appearances.