Indiana

Pacers stun shorthanded Cavaliers: NBA playoff Game 2 winners and losers

Published

8 months ago

May 7, 2025

Press Room

Pacers stun shorthanded Cavaliers: NBA playoff Game 2 winners and losers

It’s looking precarious for Donovan Mitchell and the shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pacers stunned the Cavs once again in the second round of the NBA playoffs, stealing Game 2 on Tuesday night, 120-119, after Indiana scored the game’s final eight points inside the final 50 seconds of the game.

The loss puts Cleveland in an 0-2 hole, with the series now heading to Indianapolis and Cleveland still needing to contend with injury issues. All-Stars Evan Mobley and Darius Garland and key bench player De’Andre Hunter missed Game 2, and their status for Game 3 is in question.

Here are the winners and losers from Game 2 of the second-round playoff series between the No. 4 Indiana Pacers and No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers:

The Pacers don’t quit

Since 2005, teams carrying a seven-point lead in the final 48 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime of postseason games, entering Tuesday night, had a combined record of 1,679-2 — a winning percentage of .999.

Not only did the Pacers make it 1,679-3, they also own two of those victories, with the other coming exactly one week ago, in their Game 5 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. It’s a remarkable statistic, and one that hints to a spectacular amount of luck, but it also is a marker of Indiana’s resiliency and resourceful play in the clutch.

Aaron Nesmith

The 25-year-old Nesmith scored 15 of his playoff career-high 23 points in the second half and was a massive spark the Pacers needed on both ends of the floor. Aside from his five drained 3-pointers, the plays he’ll be remembered for most are his putback dunk on a Pascal Siakam missed free throw and an offensive foul he drew just seconds later.

The dunk was the first basket of Indiana’s 8-0 run to close the game, and the foul created a key change of possession.

Donovan Mitchell

Needing to carry the Cavs, Mitchell was masterful. He scored 48 points on 15-of-30 shooting and added 9 assists. What was most impressive was the way Mitchell — as he continues to struggle with shots from the perimeter — relentlessly attacked Indiana in the paint.

Mitchell accounted for half of Cleveland’s 56 points in the paint all by himself. And when he didn’t finish, he often got to the line, converting 17-of-21 free throws.

Donovan Mitchell

His offensive dominance aside, Mitchell is a player whose teams have made the postseason each of the eight seasons he has played in the NBA. He has reached the conference semis four times. He has never advanced beyond that.

With the Cavaliers facing an 0-2 deficit and the series headed to Indiana, and with the Cavaliers facing injury issues, Mitchell is in danger of — again — seeing his postseason cut short.

Indiana’s ball security issues

The Pacers finished Tuesday’s game with 18 turnovers, which was one more than they had in Game 1. It’s tough to argue with a 2-0 lead, but turnovers — for a team that ranked second in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.22) — persist as Indiana’s biggest issue this series.

The first quarter was particularly sloppy, with the Pacers committing nine turnovers. It was no surprise to see Indiana shoot 31.3% from the floor in the period, 12.5% from 3, score just 15 points and carry a 17-point deficit into the start of the second. If Cleveland needs a way back in the series, this would be the place to start.

Max Strus struggles in the second half

Nine of his 23 points did come after halftime, but Strus went cold from deep, going just 1-of-5 from 3-point range in the second half. His most egregious blunder, however, was unquestionably a careless pass he lobbed on an inbound when Cleveland was up three with 24.7 seconds to go.

Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard easily stole the pass, and it led to that wild Indiana finish.

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Indiana

Indiana State Police: Beer spilled all over I-65 northbound in Indianapolis during semi crash

Published

2 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Indiana State Police: Beer spilled all over I-65 northbound in Indianapolis during semi crash

INDIANAPOLIS — Beer was spilled all over Interstate 65 northbound on the south side of Indianapolis late Sunday afternoon.

The beer was spilled when a semi and an SUV became involved in a crash near mile marker 109, which is located near the area where I-65 and Raymond Street converge.

Photo of the crash scene captured by an INDOT camera.

The Indiana Department of Transportation sent a notification about the crash around 4:52 p.m. That notification indicated that all lanes of the interstate had been closed in the aftermath of the crash.

Indiana State Police confirmed that troopers found objects scattered all over the road when they arrived at the scene. They later determined that those objects were beer cans.

INDOT sent a maintenance crew to the scene to help police get the interstate cleaned up. ISP confirmed that medics also responded to the crash scene, though they did not transport any of the individuals involved in the crash.

I-65 northbound was closed at mile marker 109 until about 6:04 p.m., according to INDOT. That means the roadway was closed for a little over an hour as crews worked to clean up the crash scene.

ISP diverted traffic off of I-65 and onto Raymond Street while troopers cleaned up and investigated the crash. The cause of the crash is currently unknown.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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Indiana

Sunny Sunday ahead of warming for Christmas in central Indiana

Published

14 hours ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Sunny Sunday ahead of warming for Christmas in central Indiana

Following the 4th above average day so far this December Saturday, a cold front passed through and dropped our temperatures. However, its passage didn’t drop temperatures too dramatically!

In the picture above, the clouds in the distance are the clouds along the cold front. They are exiting our region and can be seen 70 miles away! Sunday is to be the day with normal temperatures around here! Expect readings in the upper 30s to near 40° across central Indiana. High pressure settles in giving us the widespread sunshine. Don’t get used to it because our skies will look a lot more like December this week.

While this week does come with mostly cloudy to overcast skies each day, it won’t feel like how late December should feel. A few rain chances exist for late Monday then Christmas Eve Wednesday. Otherwise, expect daily warming with Indianapolis surpassing 50° by Tuesday.

The peak of the warmth will be Christmas Day Thursday! Our forecast high for Indianapolis is 61°. Should that verify, it would be the fourth time within the last six years a top-10 warm Christmas Day would occur. 61° is just three degrees shy of the 129-year-old record high of 64°. I don’t think we’ll get there since the clouds will be around. But, 60° is attainable given the breezy southwest winds forecast.

Following Christmas, Friday looks dry but we’re seeing indications of a post-holiday front sometime next weekend. Otherwise, the polar air will stay north for 2025’s final days. I don’t think we’ll be as warm for New Year’s compared to Christmas. Nonetheless, no big cold snaps (or snow) in the near term.

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Indiana takes on Boston, aims to end 4-game skid

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

Indiana takes on Boston, aims to end 4-game skid

Indiana Pacers (6-22, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Boston Celtics (17-11, third in the Eastern Conference)

Boston; Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Indiana comes into the matchup against Boston after losing four straight games.

The Celtics have gone 13-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. Boston is the leader in the Eastern Conference in team defense, allowing 110.5 points while holding opponents to 44.7% shooting.

The Pacers are 4-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. Indiana is the worst team in the NBA recording just 23.5 assists per game led by Andrew Nembhard averaging 6.4.

The Celtics average 15.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 4.1 more made shots on average than the 11.6 per game the Pacers give up. The Pacers are shooting 43.1% from the field, 1.6% lower than the 44.7% the Celtics’ opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jaylen Brown is averaging 29.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and five assists for the Celtics. Derrick White is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Pascal Siakam is averaging 23.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and four assists for the Pacers. Johnny Furphy is averaging 18 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 7-3, averaging 119.5 points, 42.9 rebounds, 23.2 assists, 8.5 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.0 points per game.

Pacers: 4-6, averaging 111.3 points, 42.5 rebounds, 23.9 assists, 7.8 steals and 6.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.2 points.

INJURIES: Celtics: Ron Harper Jr.: day to day (knee), Jayson Tatum: out (achilles), Jaylen Brown: day to day (illness).

Pacers: Obi Toppin: out (foot), Ben Sheppard: day to day (calf), Aaron Nesmith: out (knee), Tyrese Haliburton: out for season (achilles).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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