For Game 2 on Tuesday night, the Cavaliers were short-handed. They were without three key pieces to their roster. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and De’Andre Hunter did not play.
The Pacers trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half. However, Indiana is a team that will never surrender that quickly. They kept chipping away at Cleveland’s lead in the second half. Eventually, Tyrese Haliburton was at the free-throw line with 12 seconds left. He needed to make two foul shots to tie the game. Haliburton made his first free throw and missed his second. Despite that, Haliburton grabbed his own rebound. The 25-year-old created space with a step-back three and nailed that shot. Indiana had the 120-119 lead with 1.1 seconds left. Haliburton stole Game 2 for the Pacers on Tuesday night.
Indiana has a 2-0 lead heading home for games 3 and 4
TYRESE HALIBURTON WINS GAME 2 FOR THE PACERS 😱🤯
WHAT. A. WILD. PLAY. pic.twitter.com/rFsjZmtrBz
— NBA (@NBA) May 7, 2025
With 50 seconds left in Game 2 on Tuesday night, it looked like the Cavs did just enough to win. The Pacers needed serious luck to walk away from Game 2 victorious. On Tuesday, Indiana went on an 8-0 run in the final 50 seconds of Game 2. Cleveland did not attempt a single field goal in the span. Additionally, they turned the ball over twice and gave up two offensive rebounds in the last minute of the game. Not a winning recipe for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland’s Ty Jerome fouled Tyrese Haliburton on a jump shot. That put Haliburton at the line down 119-117 with two shots. The all-star PG made his first but missed the second. However, Haliburton hustled to rebound his miss and was one-on-one with Ty Jerome. Tyrese Haliburton crossed over Jerome and went to his signature step-back three. He nailed the three-pointer and gave Indiana a 120-119 lead with 1.1 seconds.
His incredible effort in the game’s final sequence was enough to steal Game 2 for the Pacers. They now have a 2-0 series lead vs. the #1 seed Cavaliers. According to ESPN, teams have won three of their last 1,643 matchups when trailing by seven points in the final minute of the fourth quarter or OT. The Indiana Pacers have two of those three wins in the 2025 postseason. While his peers voted him the most overrated player in the NBA, Tyrese Haliburton continues to silence his doubters. Game 3 is Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST.
