Pacers escape 19-point hole, KO Cavaliers in Game 5
REUTERS – Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and dished out eight assists as the Indiana Pacers eliminated the host Cleveland Cavaliers with a 114-105 decision in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday.
Pascal Siakam put up 21 points for fourth-seeded Indiana, which closed the best-of-seven series with consecutive wins.
Indiana has qualified for back-to-back trips to the Eastern finals for the first time since 2013-2014, when it lost to the Miami Heat twice. The Pacers were beaten by the eventual champion Boston Celtics last season.
Donovan Mitchell posted 35 points and nine rebounds while playing with a sprained left ankle and sore calf for top-seeded Cleveland, which blew a 19-point lead on Tuesday and lost all three home games in the series.
Elsewhere, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied late for a 112-105 home win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday.
Down by nine with 8 1/2 minutes to go, the Thunder wound up outscoring the Nuggets 34-19 in the fourth quarter to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.