May 12 (UPI) — Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and Obi Toppin combined for 61 points and the Indiana Pacers held a playoff-record 41-point halftime lead in a blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 3-1 Eastern Conference semifinals lead.
The Pacers made 30 of their 50 (60%) shots in the first half of the 129-109 Game 4 triumph Sunday in Indianapolis. The Cavaliers made just 8 of their 32 (25%) attempts over the first 24 minutes.
“I just thought we had fight,” Siakam, who scored 21 points, told reporters. “I don’t really look at the points and all that stuff. I just thought our fight was there, which is important.
“That’s Pacers basketball.”
The Pacers totaled 37 assists and 10 turnovers, compared to 20 and 22 for their foes. They held advantages of 58-32 in points in the paint, 35-13 in points off turnovers and 58-53 in bench points and never trailed.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “We are a pretty significant underdog in every game we’ve played this series. That will continue until the end. We’re going to keep approaching this like we have everything to prove. We know people don’t believe in us.
“We’re going to just stay in the fight and keep fighting.”
The Pacers could win the semifinals series and advance to the Eastern Conference finals with a victory in Game 5, which will be held Tuesday in Cleveland.
They took command of Game 4 with a 9-0 run about four minutes after tip off and never looked back. The Pacers made six 3-pointers over the first 12 minutes, when they outscored the Cavaliers 38-23.
Turner then poured in 13 in the second quarter, when the Pacers outscored the visitors 42-16 for an 80-39 lead at the break. The Pacers opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run and ended the half with a 19-2 surge to tie the 2017 Cavaliers for the largest halftime lead in NBA playoffs history.
The Pacers made 16 of 24 shots in the second quarter, compared to the Cavaliers’ 4 of 17 clip. They logged 12 assists in the frame. Veteran guard Darius Garland scored a dozen points in the third quarter, when the Cavaliers outscored the Pacers 38-29, but they could not close the massive deficit.
The Cavaliers held a 32-20 scoring advantage over the final 12 minutes. Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who sustained an ankle injury, did not play in the second half of the loss. He will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.
Mitchell scored 12 points in 20:15 of action. Garland led the Cavaliers with 21 points and six assists. Siakam made 9 of 10 shots for 21 points in the victory. Turner and Toppin chipped in 20 points apiece.
“Complete domination by them,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said of the Pacers. “It’s kinda the story. In every facet, it was tactics or anything, they dominated us in every facet of the game.”
The Cavaliers (1-3) will host the Pacers (3-1) in Game 5 at 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday in Cleveland. Game 6, if necessary, will be Thursday in Indianapolis.
