Indiana still leads the series 2-1, but Cleveland’s Game 3 bounce-back was loud, proud, and borderline theatrical.
Cleveland fans, breathe easy. The Cavaliers finally remembered they’re actually pretty good at basketball and roasted the Pacers 114–104 in Game 3 — like a deep-fried corn dog at a Midwest fair. Series now 2-1, and the Cavs have officially RSVP’d to the comeback party.
Donovan Mitchell came out swinging like he was personally offended by the concept of losing. He poured in buckets, slashed through defenders, and generally acted like he had GameShark codes enabled. Seriously, he might’ve burned a hole in the net by the third quarter.
Darius Garland also decided it was time to do cardio in the form of running laps around the Pacers’ defense. Jarrett Allen? Man was blocking shots like they were bad vibes. And Evan Mobley — quietly doing Mobley things, which is just code for being everywhere and nowhere all at once.
Indiana still had sparks — Tyrese Haliburton had his usual slick handles and Miles Turner dropped a few thunder dunks. But the energy wasn’t the same. It felt like the Pacers showed up for a chess match and the Cavs came in playing Mario Kart with banana peels and star power.
Also, shoutout to the Cavs crowd. Y’all showed up loud. Someone even had a sign that said “Donovan > Thanos” — and honestly, no notes.
So yes, the Pacers still lead the series 2-1. But Cleveland just turned the lights back on and turned this into a series again.
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Game 4 is coming fast — and now, both teams smell blood.