Latest news with #Strus
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'We got to get tougher': Cavs identify main reason for their playoff elimination vs Pacers
INDEPENDENCE — Two years after the Cavaliers were bullied out of the NBA playoffs by the New York Knicks, Cleveland's lack of toughness has returned to the forefront. This is a conversation the top-seeded Cavs are driving on the heels of their 4-1 series defeat to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal. Advertisement 'We got to get tougher — mentally, physically,' Cavs small forward Max Strus said Wednesday, May 14, less than 24 hours after Cleveland's season ended way earlier than it expected. Toughness comes in different forms. Unlike against the Knicks in 2023, the Cavs weren't crushed by the Pacers in rebounding. The Cavs actually outrebounded the Pacers 229-208 in their second-round matchup, including 70-35 on the offensive end of the floor. As far as game-by-game results go, the Cavs won the rebounding battle twice, lost it twice and tied with the Pacers once. In this year's playoffs, the toughness the Cavs sought had more to do with focus, fight, composure and assertiveness. It was tied to keeping up with the Pacers' elite transition offense and handling their full-court defensive pressure. Indiana's relentless pace clearly wore down Cleveland on multiple fronts. Advertisement 'If you look at the series, we kind of weren't ready for Game 1,' Strus said. 'I think the Miami series [sweep in the first round] didn't really prepare us for that, and we kind of slept on that and didn't come out with the same force and aggression. 'Then Game 2, can't lose that one. The toughness in teams and knowing how to win and toughing games out, that's where it is. You got to close those games out when you're up. [In Game 5] we were up [19 points] in the first half. In the playoffs, those got to be wins, and that's where we needed to grow and learn as a team and kind of understand that.' Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) celebrates a basket during Game 3 of a second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers on May 9, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cavs playoffs: Jarrett Allen not derailed by injury this time, but postseason performance a letdown Advertisement Strus knows what is required in the postseason because he went to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat in 2023, yet he is hardly the only member of the 2024-25 Cavs kicking himself about a lack of collective toughness. The topic became a central theme of player season wrap-up news conferences at Cleveland Clinic Courts. A small sampling ... All-Star point guard Darius Garland : 'The mental toughness, the physical toughness that we've been through before and just trying to get over that hump. … It's hard getting over that hump, so we've got to figure out what can we do to make that next step.' Forward Dean Wade : '[The Pacers] kind of absorbed the punches we were throwing and just kind of stayed in the fight. And then whenever we got tired, they just kind of took over.' Center Tristan Thompson: 'Every matchup [in the playoffs] is about which team can be more physical. The possessions go down. The physicality goes up. The whistle is blown less. So it's about physicality, mental toughness, who's going to play hard and compete for longer. I think you've got to give the Pacers credit. They competed at a higher level with physicality for longer.' Indiana Pacers guard Aaron Nesmith (23) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers forward Max Strus during Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinal May 11, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana. More Cavs: Cleveland Cavaliers need Evan Mobley to be top player, not 'nonexistent' in playoffs For the Cavs, exhibiting toughness at times in the regular season has yet to consistently translate to requisite playoff grit. So how can the Cavs become tough enough to flourish when it really counts? Advertisement 'I think it can be learned through tough times,' Strus said. 'That's with anything in life. When you go through tough times, tough things, you kind of learn more about yourself and kind of who you want to become and who you are from those experiences.' Strus called the Cavs being eliminated by the Pacers in Round 2 'a wasted opportunity.' All he can do now is hope the Cavs come back with a vengeance in the playoffs this time next year. 'You can talk about it all you want,' Strus said. 'But until you actually show up and be about it, talking don't really matter.' Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@ On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs confess 'we got to get tougher' to succeed in NBA playoffs
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Max Strus' sad group text blows up after stunning Cavaliers elimination
Cavaliers wing Max Strus showed up physically, but that's about it. Facing the daunting task of being down 3-1 to the Pacers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cavaliers needed a miracle, which never came as they were eliminated in Game 5, 114-105. Strus attempted to rally the team ahead of the elimination game, sending a group text to his teammates saying, 'If you don't believe, don't show up for work.' Advertisement Max Strus followed that up going 0/9 from the field and scoring zero points. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The reserve wing then followed that up by going a putrid 0-for-9 from the field and scoring zero points while adding seven rebounds and two assists. The story was told live on the TNT telecast before Game 5 by reporter Jared Greenberg. Advertisement 'A group text message was sent out to every single Cavalier player,' Greenberg said before reading the message, later adding that Strus did not believe the Cavaliers were done. The usually reliable sharpshooter had played well in the series from an offensive perspective, scoring 12.2 points per game, and entered Game 5 shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, the second-best figure on the team. Strus will now be watching the rest of the playoffs from home as the Pacers move on to face the winner of the Knicks vs. Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Advertisement The Knicks hold a 3-1 series edge with Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday night. Cleveland now heads into the offseason wondering what went wrong as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The series took a stunning turn when the Cavaliers blew a seven-point lead in the final 48 seconds of Game 2, sending them into a 2-0 deficit they were unable to fight back from. TNT's Jared Greenberg reads Max Strus' text message during the pregame show of Game 5. X ,@haterreport Advertisement The Cavaliers also dealt with health issues as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, DeAndre Hunter, and Evan Mobley battled injuries in this series.
Indianapolis Star
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Doyel: This series is absurd, and maybe over. It's no fluke. Pacers are better than Cavs
INDIANAPOLIS – Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is waving Cleveland's Max Strus to the bench, telling him to just go, but Strus isn't listening. Strus is complaining to officials about something or other, and soon he's getting whistled for a technical. The Pacers are leading by 31 points in the first half and Haliburton is rubbing it in, making the 'T' signal with his hands and then strutting to the foul line, where he's jawing with the Cleveland bench before hitting the technical free throw. Now Haliburton is talking some more to the Cleveland bench, then hitting a 3-pointer and waving three fingers their way. The Pacers lead by 35 and it's only the second quarter and of course this is what happened Sunday night in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinals. Of course the Pacers, after their Game 3 debacle of a loss, tied an NBA playoff record with a 41-point halftime lead before settling for a 129-109 victory that gives them a 3-1 lead — and a chance to finish it off Tuesday night at Rocket Arena. Maybe it's in everyone's best interest that it ends Tuesday. How much more is anyone — the Cavaliers, the Pacers, fans, officials, you, me — supposed to take? The theater of the absurd that is this 2025 NBA playoff series hit a crescendo, unless it was the nadir, when Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell injured himself doing absolutely nothing during halftime warmups. One minute he's on the perimeter, shooting, and the next he's hunched over and a Cleveland staffer is approaching him and Mitchell spends about 15 seconds doubled over in pain before limping to the locker room. On social media, where the atmosphere is even uglier than this brutally violent series, people were deciding Mitchell had quit on his team. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson was saying Mitchell would have an MRI on his left ankle, but sure, why not: He quit! Anything seems possible after four games of this bizarre series. Game 4 was perhaps the strangest game yet, 24 minutes of controlled violence and genuine nastiness, of punching and flopping, followed by 24 minutes of can this game please end? Does Mitchell come back for Game 5 Tuesday night in Cleveland? He'd better, or this series could end that night. It could end Tuesday night anyway. The fourth-seeded Pacers have already shown they can beat Cleveland at Rocket Arena. Twice, in fact: Game 1, and Game 2. Add this 20-point blowout, and the Pacers — yes, the Pacers — clearly seem to be the superior team. Feels a lot like the last series, doesn't it? The Pacers didn't like the Bucks and the Bucks didn't like the Pacers, same as we've seen in this series with Cleveland. The Bucks had injury issues (Dame Lillard), same as we've seen in this series with Cleveland (Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, De'Andre Hunter), but over time it didn't seem to matter: The Pacers were simply better than Milwaukee. That's how this Eastern Conference semifinal feels: The Pacers are simply better than Cleveland. Hey there, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was saying afterward, slow down. 'We haven't done anything yet,' Carlisle was cautioning afterward, then using his postgame news conference to send a message to his team. 'This game is now history,' he said. 'We know a big haymaker is coming Tuesday.' And he said: 'We had a lot of guys who did a lot of good things, and now it's over.' And he said: 'Our guys responded well, but like I said: It's over.' He means Game 4. But you wonder about this series. Carlisle was disgusted by what he saw in Game 3, including some things he'd seen in the first two games, mainly this: Cleveland was outfighting the Pacers on the boards, creating 40 extra shots over the course of those three games, and Carlisle used the day off Saturday to send a message. 'Our film sessions are always pretty ugly after a loss,' Haliburton was saying after Game 4, noting Carlisle tends to start in on him first, and Carlisle made clear to reporters in his pregame comments his team needed to rebound better. 'We've got to do a better job on the boards — that's obvious,' Carlisle had said before the game. 'It's a thing where you've got to hit first.' The Pacers hit first Sunday night. The final scorebook shows the Cavaliers with a 41-37 rebounding edge, but the final scorebook can tell lies. The Cavs made their hay on the glass in garbage time — Cleveland won the fourth quarter by 12, and the second half by 21 — but in the first half the Pacers outrebounded the Cavs 22-15. Before the game Carlisle had said the Pacers needed to rebound better, and take care of the ball better. That, he said, would allow them to close the gap on the shot differential. Then comes the first half, when the Pacers dominated the glass and had 25 assists to just four turnovers, compared to three assists and 14 turnovers for Cleveland. Result: That 41-point halftime lead. It's almost like Rick Carlisle was onto something It's almost like he's a… 'Savant,' Haliburton said. 'Coach is a savant when it comes to adjustments,' is the full quote from Haliburton. 'We just follow his lead.' Which brings me back to the idea, as Carlisle was saying, that 'it's over.' Because if Game 4 wasn't a fluke — if Carlisle can get his team to rebound and protect the ball like it did in Game 4 — this series ends Tuesday in Cleveland. Whatever happens Tuesday, whoever wins, it will be chippy. It will be personal. Those are Rick Carlisle's words, and no, he wasn't referring to me and Tyrese Haliburton! Although… Look, this happened after Game 4. Haliburton, who didn't talk to reporters after Game 3 and was critiqued rather thoroughly for it by one person — fine, it was me — had some things to get off his chest Tuesday night. 'Oh good,' he said when he entered the postgame interview room and looked around and saw … something. 'What I wanted to see.' What was he talking about? No idea. These were the next words out of his mouth: 'What's up guys. I'm Tyrese Haliburton. I'm here to do media. I hope that's worthwhile information. Let's get to it.' Asked again about skipping interviews after Game 3 — not by me — Haliburton said the Pacers PR folks held him out. He suggested he'd have done it differently, if he had to do it all over again. He pointed out that someone who doesn't go to every game was the person who had the most to criticize about it. Pretty sure he meant me. But who knows? 'Mike (Preston) and the (PR) staff tried to protect me a little bit,' he said. 'Maybe I should have overruled it and come out here. I wasn't in the mood to speak.' He kept going, and it got a little chippy — because he thinks the criticism was a little personal — and again, those had been Carlisle's words moments earlier to describe the playoffs in general, and this series in particular. And it did get chippy. It was personal. Something personal definitely seems to be happening with Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin and Cavs guard De'Andre Hunter, who were called for a double technical foul for talking during Game 3. That came after Mathurin blocked a Hunter dunk and looked at him dismissively as Hunter was on the ground with a thumb injury that would knock him out of Game 2. Then came Sunday night, when Mathurin hit Hunter in the sternum with a closed fist. Hunter responded by walking him down and shoving him to the court. Myles Turner raced over and shoved Hunter. Mathurin was ejected, while Hunter and Turner received technicals. That was just one of the incidents officials reviewed on the replay monitors. Cleveland's Max Strus and Indiana's Pascal Siakam banged shoulders early, with Strus going down. Each blamed the other. Officials studied the replay for about three minutes but couldn't decide. Later Strus received that technical for arguing, with Haliburton enjoying it right there in his face. Then Turner was called for an offensive foul on Strus, who reached as if he'd been shot in the face, which is interesting considering replay showed he was hit in the chest. Can someone flop from the neck up? Because Strus appeared to do that. Then a stray hand from Darius Garland to Aaron Nesmith's face, combined with Strus' simultaneous shoulder check on a screen, sent Nesmith to the floor, after which Nesmith floored Cleveland's Sam Merrill with a hard foul on a layup that had Kenny Atkinson wanting referees to check the monitor for … something. By then it didn't matter. The Pacers were leading by almost 40, and this game was over. Soon, Carlisle was looking ahead. 'You've got to try to know the things to ignore, and just stay in the moment and stay in the process,' he said. 'Playoff series are physical, they're chippy, they're personal. We've got to stay out of the weeds of things that take us away from what we do best.' Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at Subscribe to the free weekly Doyel on Demand newsletter.
The Advertiser
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Mitchell the man to end Cavaliers' NBA playoff slide
Donovan Mitchell has refused to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away from Cleveland. So with home fans on their feet, expecting Indiana to cut what had been a 24-point deficit to single digits, Mitchell took the game into his own hands. He hit a 13-foot fade-away, then a pull-up three-pointer and finally found Max Strus for another triple and the Cavaliers went on to a 126-104 victory on Friday night. "I couldn't let it happen again, and it wasn't just me," Mitchell said after finishing with 43 points and nine rebounds to cut their Eastern Conference semi-final series deficit to 2-1. "I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. But for me, just trying to be the aggressor." The road team has won all three games, and the Pacers will have another chance to break that trend Sunday in Game 4. But Cleveland were desperate to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and used everything in their arsenal to hold on. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key backup De'Andre Hutner returned from injuries after missing Game 2. All-Star guard Darius Garland also returned from a toe injury that kept him out of four straight games. Strus made four triples and had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a game the Cavs never trailed. Bennedict Mathurin led the hosts with 23 points. Pascal Siakam had 18 and Tyrese Haliburton finished with four points and five assists - his first career home loss in a post-season game he's appeared. "This was a very poor effort at the beginning of the game, through so many parts of the game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Clearly, I didn't have these guys ready for this. Ty had a rough game. I have to do more to get him in better positions to have better shots." Tempers flared at times with the Pacers drawing five technical fouls. On the court, though, Cleveland controlled the game after breaking a 36-36 tie with a 25-4 run, which gave them a 66-45 halftime cushion. Indiana closed to 104-93 early in the fourth before Mitchell and Strus led the game-sealing scoring flurry. In Denver, Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Michael Porter Jr hit 21 clutch points to lead the Denver Nuggets past the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in overtime for a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series. Nikola Jokic added 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon had 22 points for the Nuggets, who led by no more than two points in regulation but went on an 11-2 run in the extra period. Jokic went 8-for-25 from the field and missed all 10 of his three-pointers, but started the overtime flourish with a finger-roll lay-up and the Nuggets never trailed again. The other NBA MVP front-runner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also had a tough night, missing 15 of 22 shots, going 1-for-6 from deep and finishing with 18 points. Jalen Williams led OKC with 32 points and Chet Holmgren chipped in with 18. Scores were tied at 102-102 after regulation, and both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic missed potential winners in the closing seconds of regular time. Game 4 is on Sunday (Monday AEST) at Ball Arena. Donovan Mitchell has refused to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away from Cleveland. So with home fans on their feet, expecting Indiana to cut what had been a 24-point deficit to single digits, Mitchell took the game into his own hands. He hit a 13-foot fade-away, then a pull-up three-pointer and finally found Max Strus for another triple and the Cavaliers went on to a 126-104 victory on Friday night. "I couldn't let it happen again, and it wasn't just me," Mitchell said after finishing with 43 points and nine rebounds to cut their Eastern Conference semi-final series deficit to 2-1. "I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. But for me, just trying to be the aggressor." The road team has won all three games, and the Pacers will have another chance to break that trend Sunday in Game 4. But Cleveland were desperate to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and used everything in their arsenal to hold on. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key backup De'Andre Hutner returned from injuries after missing Game 2. All-Star guard Darius Garland also returned from a toe injury that kept him out of four straight games. Strus made four triples and had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a game the Cavs never trailed. Bennedict Mathurin led the hosts with 23 points. Pascal Siakam had 18 and Tyrese Haliburton finished with four points and five assists - his first career home loss in a post-season game he's appeared. "This was a very poor effort at the beginning of the game, through so many parts of the game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Clearly, I didn't have these guys ready for this. Ty had a rough game. I have to do more to get him in better positions to have better shots." Tempers flared at times with the Pacers drawing five technical fouls. On the court, though, Cleveland controlled the game after breaking a 36-36 tie with a 25-4 run, which gave them a 66-45 halftime cushion. Indiana closed to 104-93 early in the fourth before Mitchell and Strus led the game-sealing scoring flurry. In Denver, Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Michael Porter Jr hit 21 clutch points to lead the Denver Nuggets past the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in overtime for a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series. Nikola Jokic added 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon had 22 points for the Nuggets, who led by no more than two points in regulation but went on an 11-2 run in the extra period. Jokic went 8-for-25 from the field and missed all 10 of his three-pointers, but started the overtime flourish with a finger-roll lay-up and the Nuggets never trailed again. The other NBA MVP front-runner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also had a tough night, missing 15 of 22 shots, going 1-for-6 from deep and finishing with 18 points. Jalen Williams led OKC with 32 points and Chet Holmgren chipped in with 18. Scores were tied at 102-102 after regulation, and both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic missed potential winners in the closing seconds of regular time. Game 4 is on Sunday (Monday AEST) at Ball Arena. Donovan Mitchell has refused to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away from Cleveland. So with home fans on their feet, expecting Indiana to cut what had been a 24-point deficit to single digits, Mitchell took the game into his own hands. He hit a 13-foot fade-away, then a pull-up three-pointer and finally found Max Strus for another triple and the Cavaliers went on to a 126-104 victory on Friday night. "I couldn't let it happen again, and it wasn't just me," Mitchell said after finishing with 43 points and nine rebounds to cut their Eastern Conference semi-final series deficit to 2-1. "I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. But for me, just trying to be the aggressor." The road team has won all three games, and the Pacers will have another chance to break that trend Sunday in Game 4. But Cleveland were desperate to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and used everything in their arsenal to hold on. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key backup De'Andre Hutner returned from injuries after missing Game 2. All-Star guard Darius Garland also returned from a toe injury that kept him out of four straight games. Strus made four triples and had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a game the Cavs never trailed. Bennedict Mathurin led the hosts with 23 points. Pascal Siakam had 18 and Tyrese Haliburton finished with four points and five assists - his first career home loss in a post-season game he's appeared. "This was a very poor effort at the beginning of the game, through so many parts of the game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Clearly, I didn't have these guys ready for this. Ty had a rough game. I have to do more to get him in better positions to have better shots." Tempers flared at times with the Pacers drawing five technical fouls. On the court, though, Cleveland controlled the game after breaking a 36-36 tie with a 25-4 run, which gave them a 66-45 halftime cushion. Indiana closed to 104-93 early in the fourth before Mitchell and Strus led the game-sealing scoring flurry. In Denver, Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Michael Porter Jr hit 21 clutch points to lead the Denver Nuggets past the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in overtime for a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series. Nikola Jokic added 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon had 22 points for the Nuggets, who led by no more than two points in regulation but went on an 11-2 run in the extra period. Jokic went 8-for-25 from the field and missed all 10 of his three-pointers, but started the overtime flourish with a finger-roll lay-up and the Nuggets never trailed again. The other NBA MVP front-runner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also had a tough night, missing 15 of 22 shots, going 1-for-6 from deep and finishing with 18 points. Jalen Williams led OKC with 32 points and Chet Holmgren chipped in with 18. Scores were tied at 102-102 after regulation, and both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic missed potential winners in the closing seconds of regular time. Game 4 is on Sunday (Monday AEST) at Ball Arena. Donovan Mitchell has refused to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away from Cleveland. So with home fans on their feet, expecting Indiana to cut what had been a 24-point deficit to single digits, Mitchell took the game into his own hands. He hit a 13-foot fade-away, then a pull-up three-pointer and finally found Max Strus for another triple and the Cavaliers went on to a 126-104 victory on Friday night. "I couldn't let it happen again, and it wasn't just me," Mitchell said after finishing with 43 points and nine rebounds to cut their Eastern Conference semi-final series deficit to 2-1. "I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. But for me, just trying to be the aggressor." The road team has won all three games, and the Pacers will have another chance to break that trend Sunday in Game 4. But Cleveland were desperate to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and used everything in their arsenal to hold on. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key backup De'Andre Hutner returned from injuries after missing Game 2. All-Star guard Darius Garland also returned from a toe injury that kept him out of four straight games. Strus made four triples and had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a game the Cavs never trailed. Bennedict Mathurin led the hosts with 23 points. Pascal Siakam had 18 and Tyrese Haliburton finished with four points and five assists - his first career home loss in a post-season game he's appeared. "This was a very poor effort at the beginning of the game, through so many parts of the game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Clearly, I didn't have these guys ready for this. Ty had a rough game. I have to do more to get him in better positions to have better shots." Tempers flared at times with the Pacers drawing five technical fouls. On the court, though, Cleveland controlled the game after breaking a 36-36 tie with a 25-4 run, which gave them a 66-45 halftime cushion. Indiana closed to 104-93 early in the fourth before Mitchell and Strus led the game-sealing scoring flurry. In Denver, Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Michael Porter Jr hit 21 clutch points to lead the Denver Nuggets past the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder 113-104 in overtime for a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series. Nikola Jokic added 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon had 22 points for the Nuggets, who led by no more than two points in regulation but went on an 11-2 run in the extra period. Jokic went 8-for-25 from the field and missed all 10 of his three-pointers, but started the overtime flourish with a finger-roll lay-up and the Nuggets never trailed again. The other NBA MVP front-runner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also had a tough night, missing 15 of 22 shots, going 1-for-6 from deep and finishing with 18 points. Jalen Williams led OKC with 32 points and Chet Holmgren chipped in with 18. Scores were tied at 102-102 after regulation, and both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic missed potential winners in the closing seconds of regular time. Game 4 is on Sunday (Monday AEST) at Ball Arena.
West Australian
10-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Mitchell the man to end Cavs' NBA playoff slide
Donovan Mitchell has refused to let another fourth-quarter lead slip away from Cleveland. So with home fans on their feet, expecting Indiana to cut what had been a 24-point deficit to single digits, Mitchell took the game into his own hands. He hit a 13-foot fadeaway, then a pull-up three-pointer and finally found Max Strus for another triple and the Cavaliers went on to a 126-104 victory on Friday night. "I couldn't let it happen again, and it wasn't just me," Mitchell said after finishing with 43 points and nine rebounds to cut their Eastern Conference semi-final series deficit to 2-1. "I know I scored, but like, we got stops, made plays. But for me, just trying to be the aggressor." The road team has won all three games, and the Pacers will have another chance to break that trend Sunday in Game 4. But Cleveland were desperate to avoid falling into a 3-0 hole and used everything in their arsenal to hold on. NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and key backup De'Andre Hutner returned from injuries after missing Game 2. All-Star guard Darius Garland also returned from a toe injury that kept him out of four straight games. Strus made four triples and had 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in a game the Cavs never trailed. Bennedict Mathurin led the hosts with 23 points. Pascal Siakam had 18 and Tyrese Haliburton finished with four points and five assists — his first career home loss in a post-season game he's appeared. "This was a very poor effort at the beginning of the game, through so many parts of the game," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Clearly, I didn't have these guys ready for this. Ty had a rough game. I have to do more to get him in better positions to have better shots." Tempers flared at times with the Pacers drawing five technical fouls. On the court, though, Cleveland controlled the game after breaking a 36-36 tie with a 25-4 run, which gave them a 66-45 halftime cushion. Indiana closed to 104-93 early in the fourth before Mitchell and Strus led the game-sealing scoring flurry.
