The Indiana Pacers put the Cleveland Cavaliers on the deathbed on Sunday with a 129-109 blowout victory that was even more lopsided than the final score may suggest.
Early in the game, there was a dust-up between the two teams.
Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin hit Cavs forward De’Andre Hunter in the chest, and Hunter reacted by shoving Mathurin to the ground. Pacers center Myles Turner then took a shot at Hunter in retaliation.
Mathurin was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and was ejected as a result. It was a controversial decision, as one X user argued.
“It is so obvious the refs want the Cavs to win,” a fifth fan claimed. “Keep up the pace and the Pressure pacers, make it so the refs don’t matter at all.”
First time in NBA history that a player has been ejected for a light, open-handed shove to an opponent’s chest. Mathurin’s ejection should be reversed. The NBA is a joke.
At the time of the altercation, Indiana led 22-10. From there, its lead only grew. It was ahead 61-37 with just over three minutes to go in the first half when it scored 17 unanswered points, allowing it to take an unbelievable 80-39 advantage at halftime.
To make matters worse for the Cavs, Donovan Mitchell, their best player, missed the second half due to an injured ankle. Per head coach Kenny Atkinson, Mitchell will have an MRI, which means his status for Game 5 back in Northeast Ohio is in doubt.
The Pacers now lead the series three games to one over a team that went 64-18 in the regular season and often looked nearly unbeatable.