Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers look to come through in the clutch once again when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Friday in Indianapolis.
Haliburton also seems determined to change the narrative after being voted by his peers as the NBA’s most overrated player in an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic.
The All-Star guard made a driving layup in the waning moments of the Pacers’ series-clinching overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Haliburton followed that up by collecting 22 points and 13 assists in the series opener versus top-seeded Cleveland before sinking a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 120-119 victory on Tuesday and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.
The frenzied finish, in which the fourth-seeded Pacers overcame a seven-point deficit in the final minute, was just par for the course in Haliburton’s eyes.
“It’s the NBA. Crazier things have happened,” he said. “… We’ve had many games where you could take a screenshot at any moment and be like, ‘How did they win this game?’
“We just have a resilient group. We just figure out ways to win. We don’t give up and we’re battle-tested.”
Haliburton certainly is battle-tested. In fact, he has a wrap on his left, non-shooting wrist to show for it.
“I’m fine,” Haliburton told the Indianapolis Star following Thursday’s practice. “I’ll be fine for the game. I’m all good.”
The Pacers would be trending to “all good” status with a victory on Friday. That would put them on the brink of securing a second consecutive conference finals appearance.
Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell scored 48 points on 15-for-30 shooting from the floor and 17-of-21 from the free-throw line.
Max Strus had 23 points and Jarrett Allen added 22 to go along with 12 rebounds for the undermanned Cavaliers, who played their fourth straight game without All-Star Darius Garland (left big toe sprain).
Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley (left ankle sprain) and key reserve De’Andre Hunter (right thumb sprain) missed Game 2 after sustaining their respective injuries in the series opener.
“I’m proud of every individual that put up a fight,” Mitchell said. “We’ve shown how deep we are as a team, how great we are as a unit. But it’s tough losing like that. We’ve got to find a way to get one in Indy.”
The Cavaliers listed Garland, Mobley and Hunter as questionable for Game 3 on the NBA injury report late Thursday afternoon. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson earlier noted that the trio participated — to some extent — in practice on Thursday.
“It was shootaround basically, so they all touched the ball,” Atkinson said. “They all got some reps up, but we didn’t do anything live. They kind of participated in the walk-through, and (we’re) hoping for the best.”
Atkinson also said the team is doing its best to keep its spirits up given the makeshift lineup.
“I think it’s frustrating for all of us, and it’s no indictment on anybody or the players — none of that,” Atkinson said. “It’s just injuries are a tough thing, and you don’t really know unless you experience it yourself.”
