Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Indiana Pacers 126-104 on Friday. This win brought the Cavs back into their NBA Eastern Conference semi-final series, now trailing 2-1. Cleveland, who were the top team in the East with 64 regular-season wins, needed this win badly after losing the first two games at home. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit, so this game was crucial.
Mitchell, who had scored 48 points in Game 2, delivered another strong performance with 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. He got support from returning players—All-Star guard Darius Garland, Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, and key bench player De’Andre Hunter.
Garland, back from a toe injury that sidelined him for four games, scored 10 points. Mobley, returning after missing one game due to an ankle sprain, added 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. The Cavaliers’ defense also shut down Tyrese Haliburton, who was the star in Game 2, limiting him to just 4 points.
Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 23 points off the bench, but this time the Cavaliers didn’t need a late comeback like Tuesday’s game, where they erased a seven-point gap in the final minute.
Cleveland started strong with an 11-0 run and stayed ahead the entire game. Although the Pacers tied it at 32-32 by the end of the first quarter, the Cavaliers regained control in the second. They kept Tyrese Haliburton from scoring and built a 66-45 lead by halftime.
Indiana tried to fight back, cutting a 24-point lead down to 11 with under eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. But Donovan Mitchell hit one of his five three-pointers, then assisted Max Strus on another shot, helping Cleveland pull away again.
Mitchell said it was important to respond with toughness in a physical and sometimes tense game.
“It’s tough to beat a team by 20 on their home court — we saw that in our last game too. Leads are hard to hold in this league,” Mitchell said. “They’re not a team that gives up easily. We lost one at home in a similar way, and I didn’t want that to happen again.”
He added that it wasn’t just about his scoring: “We made key stops and big plays as a team.”
Cleveland now looks to even the series when Game 4 takes place in Indiana on Sunday.
Later Friday, the Denver Nuggets will host the Oklahoma City Thunder in their own playoff matchup. After losing Game 1 at home, the Thunder bounced back with a massive 43-point win to tie the series and aim to keep that momentum going in Denver.