In some circles, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was perceived as a no-show both during and after his team’s loss on Friday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
First off, Haliburton created little noise on the court by scoring just four points on 2-of-8 shooting during the fourth-seeded Pacers’ 126-104 setback to the top-seeded Cavaliers.
Afterward, he was noticeably absent in any place inhabited by a reporter.
Haliburton, who addressed that situation on Saturday afternoon, will look to have more of an impact on Sunday night when the Pacers host the Cavaliers in Game 4 in Indianapolis.
Indiana holds a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Yet Cleveland is 3-0 on the road in the playoffs — and is winning by an average of 38 points in those games.
Haliburton held court with reporters on Saturday, telling them that he wasn’t made available by the league following Game 3.
As for how he was feeling now?
“The sun came up this morning,” Haliburton said. “It’s unfortunate. Didn’t have a very good performance last night. (It’s) more film for me to look at, more stuff to figure out. It’s all part of the process.”
It was a humbling performance by Haliburton, who had been the star of Indiana’s show in its previous three games.
The All-Star guard made a driving layup in the waning moments of the Pacers’ series-clinching win over the Milwaukee Bucks to cap a 26-point night. He then collected 22 points and 13 assists in the series opener versus Cleveland before draining a 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 120-119 victory on Tuesday.
While Haliburton struggled on Friday, Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell turned in what head coach Kenny Atkinson labeled as a “masterful” performance.
“I don’t use that word hardly ever,” Atkinson said. “He was masterful in the way he controlled the game and not passing, making the right decision, defending. Probably for me, his best performance of the year. I don’t know what the numbers look like, but he really played with a great kind of mindset, great head on his shoulders, super high IQ.”
The numbers looked like this for Mitchell: 43 points on 14-for-29 shooting from the floor and 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. The six-time All-Star also had nine rebounds and made five 3-pointers after going 2-for-18 from beyond the arc in the previous two games.
Mitchell was intent on making sure his team didn’t squander a big lead for the second straight game.
“We let one slip away at home in a similar fashion. So, for me, couldn’t let it happen again,” Mitchell said.
What’s more important is Mitchell had help in the form of Max Strus and Jarrett Allen as well as the returns of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. Strus and Allen combined for 39 points and 19 rebounds on Friday, while Mobley added 18 and 13, respectively, in his return from a one-game absence due to a sprained left ankle.
Garland on the other hand struggled with both his body and foul trouble in his return from a four-game absence due to a sprained left toe. He finished with 10 points while laboring through the pain.
“Y’all don’t understand what I’m going through,” Garland said. “I mean, everybody has their opinion. I’m going out there and playing basketball. Everybody has their nicks and bruises around this time. So, going out and trying to win the series.”
–Field Level Media
