Donovan Mitchell gives everything, but Cavs crumble in final minute of Game 2 thriller
Donovan Mitchell’s 48-point masterpiece falls short as the Cavs blow a late lead, facing a 0-2 deficit in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
For 47 minutes, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked like a team on a mission. Battling without three of their top four scorers, the Cavs had controlled tempo, stifled the Indiana Pacers’ high-powered offense, and leaned on a masterful performance from Donovan Mitchell to build a cushion that felt like enough to tie this playoff series. Then, in the final 60 seconds, everything collapsed.
It wasn’t just a loss. It was a meltdown.
The Cavs, who led by seven with under a minute to play, watched their advantage vanish possession by possession. A putback dunk. A turnover. A missed box-out. And finally, the dagger: Tyrese Haliburton, quiet for most of the night and booed mercilessly by the Cleveland crowd, buried a step-back three with 1.1 seconds remaining to complete a stunning 120-119 Pacers win in Game 2.
Now, Cleveland, the East’s No. 1 seed, finds itself in a 0-2 hole heading to Indianapolis and potentially facing the end of a season that once looked destined for something special.
The outcome was cruel. Mitchell, battling through a calf strain, delivered one of the finest playoff performances of his career. He poured in 48 points on 15-of-30 shooting, relentlessly attacking the rim with force, drawing contact, and converting 17 of his 21 free throw attempts. He also added nine assists, five rebounds, and four steals in 36 minutes of work. His fingerprints were everywhere.
But even that wasn’t enough.
“We outplayed them most of the game,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We ran out of gas, [and] we couldn’t really separate ourselves. That’s the shame of this game. It’s a tough, tough blow, no doubt about it.”
The Cavs emptied the tank against the Pacers in Game 2
David Richard-Imagn Images
It wasn’t just Mitchell who emptied the tank. Max Strus had a postseason-best 23 points and eight rebounds. Jarrett Allen contributed 22 points and 12 boards. A patchwork lineup missing Darius Garland (toe), Evan Mobley (ankle), and De’Andre Hunter (thumb) managed to build a 20-point lead in the third quarter. That same group held a double-digit cushion entering the fourth. The Cavs did everything right for the game’s first 47 minutes.
Then came the unraveling.
With 57 seconds remaining, the Cavs were up 119-112. They wouldn’t score again. A missed free throw from Pascal Siakam turned into an Aaron Nesmith dunk. Mitchell was called for a controversial offensive foul. Siakam scored again. After a broken inbounds play, Strus threw a desperation pass that was intercepted. Seconds later, Haliburton was fouled, missed his second free throw, but beat everyone to his rebound. Then came the shot that broke Cleveland’s heart.
As Haliburton celebrated, Mitchell stood alone, looking up at the scoreboard in disbelief.
“I’m proud of every individual who put up a fight tonight,” Mitchell said. “We’ve shown how deep we are as a team, how great we are as a unit. It’s tough losing like that. It sucks. It stings. But we’ve got to find a way to get two in Indy.
Can Cleveland dig deep as the series shifts to Indianapolis?
Cleveland led for more than 42 of the game’s 48 minutes. They outplayed Indiana for three full quarters. They held the Pacers to just 15 points in the opening period, their lowest first-quarter total in a playoff game since 2016. The Cavs dictated the pace. They brought physicality. Cleveland looked poised to even the series.
But basketball games aren’t won in 47-minute efforts.
The Cavs were outscored 36-21 in the fourth, with Haliburton scoring 11 in the quarter. The Pacers, playing loose and confident, capitalized on every Cavaliers mistake.
“They just kept coming,” said Allen. “We blinked for one second, and it was too late.”
Cleveland now heads to Gainbridge Fieldhouse down 0-2 in the series and battered by injuries. It’s unclear if Garland, Mobley, or Hunter will return for Game 3 on Friday. The Cavs have little margin for error. They’ll need to steal one on the road just to stay alive.
Mitchell’s performance should have been remembered as iconic. Instead, it becomes a footnote to a loss that may define the Cavaliers’ season.
The Cavs gave everything they had. And in the end, it still wasn’t enough.
Now, the only question that matters: how much more do they have left?
Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering the Cleveland Cavaliers for ClutchPoints. Evan has bylines at Right Down Euclid, Forbes and SB Nation.
