Tyrese Haliburton's Clutch 3-Pointer Stuns Cavaliers in Thrilling Pacers Win

With only 1.1 seconds left on the clock and the Indiana Pacers trailing, Tyrese Haliburton delivered a heart-stopping 3-pointer to seal a 120-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in a dramatic finish on Tuesday night. The Pacers now lead their Eastern Conference semifinals series 2-0.

Haliburton exploded in the final quarter, scoring 11 of his 19 points, and was instrumental in the Pacers' thrilling eight-point surge in the last 47.9 seconds. After Andrew Nembhard's pivotal steal from Cleveland's Max Strus, Haliburton showed composure by first attempting to tie the game with a free throw. Although he missed the second attempt, he snatched the offensive rebound and confidently stepped back to sink a stunning three-pointer.

The night marked another outstanding late-game showing for Haliburton, who also clinched a decisive 3-pointer in Sunday's series-opening victory. "Ty made another unbelievable shot to win it for us," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle remarked. "It's rare to see this happen twice in one week. We're incredibly lucky to have him."

Indiana's Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith each supported with 23 points, helping No. 4 seed Pacers to make history as it's their first back-to-back road playoff wins since their 1994 first-round series against Orlando.

Despite Donovan Mitchell's valiant effort, scoring a colossal 48 points, the top-seeded Cavaliers couldn't secure a win. Cleveland's lineup was depleted, missing key players like NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and Darius Garland due to injuries.

"We outplayed them for much of the game but faltered in the end," acknowledged Cleveland's Jarrett Allen, who posted 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavaliers' offense wavered under late-game pressure, allowing for critical mistakes and turnovers exploited by Indiana to swing the game in their favor.

Cleveland appeared to have the upper hand, leading 98-81, following Mitchell's third-quarter surge, but they couldn't withstand Indiana's 17-6 rally. As their defense faltered, they watched their lead—and the game—slip away.

Coach Carlisle praised his team's resilience in the turnaround, "Cleveland hit us hard, but our guys dug deep and found the energy to pull it off." The loss marks Cleveland's first underwhelming home playoff performance since a first-round series against the Knicks in 1996.