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Top-seeded Cavaliers trail Pacers 3-1
MANILA, Philippines — The Indiana Pacers thrashed the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-109 to take a 3-1 stranglehold on their NBA playoff series on Sunday as Oklahoma City edged Denver to level their series at two games apiece.
Pascal Siakam scored 21 points to lead seven Pacers players in double figures as Indiana pushed Eastern Conference top seeds Cleveland to the brink of elimination in their best-of-seven conference semifinal.
There were no such offensive fireworks in Denver, where Oklahoma City squelched the Nuggets’ second-half comeback bid to claim a gritty 92-87 victory in a game where both teams struggled to get shots to fall.
In Cleveland, the Pacers already had the game well in hand, with an 80-39 halftime lead, when the Cavs announced that star Donovan Mitchell was doubtful to return for the second half with a left ankle injury.
Mitchell, coming off back-to-back 40-point games, scored 12 points in the first half, but was clearly hurting when he tested his ankle prior to the start of the second half.
His loss would be a body blow for a Cleveland team hoping to fend off elimination when they host Game 5 on Tuesday.
Coach Kenny Atkinson said Mitchell would have an MRI scan on Monday and he had “no idea” if Mitchell would be available for Game 5.
Despite the Pacers’ dominance, there was no shortage of emotion.
Indiana reserve Bennedict Mathurin was ejected with 4:32 left in the first quarter for a punch to De’Andre Hunter’s chest.
In Denver, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points with six rebounds and six assists to lead Oklahoma City, but the Thunder connected on just 31 of 87 shots from the field – only marginally better than the Nuggets’ 25-for-80 success rate.
NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Denver, which shook off a dismal start and grabbed a 53-52 lead midway through the third quarter on a three-pointer from Aaron Gordon.
Jamal Murray and Christian Braun scored 17 points each and Gordon added 15 as Denver extended the lead to eight points early in the fourth.
