It’s looking precarious for Donovan Mitchell and the shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Pacers stunned the Cavs once again in the second round of the NBA playoffs, stealing Game 2 on Tuesday night, 120-119, after Indiana scored the game’s final eight points inside the final 50 seconds of the game.
The loss puts Cleveland in an 0-2 hole, with the series now heading to Indianapolis and Cleveland still needing to contend with injury issues. All-Stars Evan Mobley and Darius Garland and key bench player De’Andre Hunter missed Game 2, and their status for Game 3 is in question.
Here are the winners and losers from Game 2 of the second-round playoff series between the No. 4 Indiana Pacers and No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers:
WINNERS
The Pacers don’t quit
Since 2005, teams carrying a seven-point lead in the final 48 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime of postseason games, entering Tuesday night, had a combined record of 1,679-2 — a winning percentage of .999.
Not only did the Pacers make it 1,679-3, they also own two of those victories, with the other coming exactly one week ago, in their Game 5 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s a remarkable statistic, and one that hints to a spectacular amount of luck, but it also is a marker of Indiana’s resiliency and resourceful play in the clutch.
Aaron Nesmith
The 25-year-old Nesmith scored 15 of his playoff career-high 23 points in the second half and was a massive spark the Pacers needed on both ends of the floor. Aside from his five drained 3-pointers, the plays he’ll be remembered for most are his putback dunk on a Pascal Siakam missed free throw and an offensive foul he drew just seconds later.
The dunk was the first basket of Indiana’s 8-0 run to close the game, and the foul created a key change of possession.
Donovan Mitchell
Needing to carry the Cavs, Mitchell was masterful. He scored 48 points on 15-of-30 shooting and added 9 assists. What was most impressive was the way Mitchell — as he continues to struggle with shots from the perimeter — relentlessly attacked Indiana in the paint.
Mitchell accounted for half of Cleveland’s 56 points in the paint all by himself. And when he didn’t finish, he often got to the line, converting 17-of-21 free throws.
LOSERS
Donovan Mitchell
His offensive dominance aside, Mitchell is a player whose teams have made the postseason each of the eight seasons he has played in the NBA. He has reached the conference semis four times. He has never advanced beyond that.
With the Cavaliers facing an 0-2 deficit and the series headed to Indiana, and with the Cavaliers facing injury issues, Mitchell is in danger of — again — seeing his postseason cut short.
Indiana’s ball security issues
The Pacers finished Tuesday’s game with 18 turnovers, which was one more than they had in Game 1. It’s tough to argue with a 2-0 lead, but turnovers — for a team that ranked second in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.22) — persist as Indiana’s biggest issue this series.
The first quarter was particularly sloppy, with the Pacers committing nine turnovers. It was no surprise to see Indiana shoot 31.3% from the floor in the period, 12.5% from 3, score just 15 points and carry a 17-point deficit into the start of the second. If Cleveland needs a way back in the series, this would be the place to start.
Max Strus struggles in the second half
Nine of his 23 points did come after halftime, but Strus went cold from deep, going just 1-of-5 from 3-point range in the second half. His most egregious blunder, however, was unquestionably a careless pass he lobbed on an inbound when Cleveland was up three with 24.7 seconds to go.
Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard easily stole the pass, and it led to that wild Indiana finish.