The Cleveland Cavaliers face a daunting challenge after a stellar regular season, now teetering on the brink of playoff elimination. The Indiana Pacers delivered a commanding 129-109 victory in Game 4 of their second-round series, tying an NBA playoffs record for the largest halftime lead.
Indiana’s dominance from start to finish has given them a 3-1 series advantage.Indiana’s first-half performance was remarkable, opening up a 41-point lead by halftime. This matched the record set by the Cavaliers in 2017 against the Boston Celtics. Pascal Siakam led with 21 points, while Myles Turner and Obi Toppin contributed 20 each. With the game decided early, most starters rested in the fourth quarter.The Cavaliers, who finished the regular season with a 64-18 record, are now fighting to stay alive in Game 5 at home. Their leading scorer, Donovan Mitchell, exited Game 4 with an ankle injury and is scheduled for an MRI. Before leaving, Mitchell scored only 12 points on poor shooting.
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=Dailyhuntapp&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1921738009315037481&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fm.dailyhunt.in%2Fnews%2Findia%2Fenglish%2Ffor%2Byou%3Flaunch%3Dtrue%26mode%3Dpwa&sessionId=1285ac88390328a71a89331787d85ba6911a2a58&siteScreenName=Dailyhuntapp&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
Darius Garland emerged as Cleveland’s top performer with 21 points and six assists. The Pacers never relinquished their lead after an early surge put them ahead by nine points just four minutes into the game. By the end of the first quarter, they had extended their lead to double digits.In another playoff battle, Oklahoma City Thunder levelled their series with Denver Nuggets by winning Game 4 with a score of 92-87. The Thunder’s reserves played a crucial role in this defensive showdown, outscoring Denver’s bench significantly.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 25 points and six assists. Cason Wallace and Aaron Wiggins contributed key points during an important fourth-quarter run that secured the win for Oklahoma City.Denver struggled offensively throughout the game, shooting just over 31% as a team. Nikola Jokić managed to score 27 points but was inefficient from the field. Despite leading after three quarters, Denver faltered in the final period.
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=Dailyhuntapp&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1921659397882712112&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fm.dailyhunt.in%2Fnews%2Findia%2Fenglish%2Ffor%2Byou%3Flaunch%3Dtrue%26mode%3Dpwa&sessionId=1285ac88390328a71a89331787d85ba6911a2a58&siteScreenName=Dailyhuntapp&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
The Nuggets’ offensive woes were evident from the start as they failed to make any three-pointers in the first quarter and shot poorly overall. Oklahoma City capitalised on this to build an early lead that they maintained through strong bench contributions.Aaron Gordon added a double-double for Denver with his efforts but it wasn’t enough to overcome Oklahoma City’s late-game surge. As both series continue to unfold, teams will need to adapt quickly to keep their championship hopes alive.