Pacers return to Eastern Conference Finals after wild 4th quarter clinches Game 5 comeback win vs. Cavaliers

For a second straight year, the Pacers are eight wins away from their first-ever NBA title.

Indiana entered the 2025 NBA Playoffs as the East's No. 4 seed, and few viewed them as a team capable of making it out of the second round. In a wild turn of events, the Pacers are heading to the Eastern Conference Finals after eliminating the No. 1 seed Cavaliers in five games.

Wild as the series was, Indiana's closeout win was a wild ride in itself.

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After falling behind by 19 points early in the second quarter, Tyrese Haliburton's exploits were the spark that lit a fire among his teammates, resulting in a frenetic second half.

Here's how it went down.

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How Pacers advanced to Eastern Conference Finals with wild Game 5 win

After falling behind by 19 points with eight minutes left in the second quarter, the Pacers outscored the Cavaliers 89-61.

It started with Haliburton, who went a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range in the second period. After trailing 44-25, Indiana used a 27-12 run to enter the halftime break trailing by a much more manageable four points.

That manageable halftime deficit set up the second-half efforts put forth by the Pacers.

In the third quarter, it was Thomas Bryant who stepped up for Indiana. After scoring a total of nine points in Games 1 through 4, Bryant scored nine points in the third as the Pacers outscored the Cavs, 33-20, to take a nine-point lead into the final frame.

steal & slam from Thomas Bryant 👏 pic.twitter.com/YklAsVXhX3

On Cleveland's side, injuries to the All-Star backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell proved to be too much to overcome.

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Garland toughed it through a toe injury but was limited, scoring just 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Mitchell scored 35 points but did so on 8-of-25 shooting and 15-of-21 from the line.

Almost inconceivably, three of Mitchell's misses at the charity stripe came in succession after he was fouled on a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter with the Cavs down six.

Anytime Cleveland attempted to make a run, Indiana thwarted it with a stop or a response. The teams played evenly in the fourth quarter which was far from enough, as the Pacers found a way to exit Rocket Arena with a 114-105 victory.

Haliburton's night ended with 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting, a notable feat considering he scored just two points in the opening frame.

Cleveland shot just 38.9 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from deep, and a 64-win season will not result in a trip to the conference finals, a postseason stage Mitchell has yet to reach.

Who do the Pacers play next?

Now, the Pacers await the conclusion of the East semifinals between the Celtics and Knicks, which could end as soon as Wednesday.

Regardless of the result, Indiana will begin the East Finals on the road, where it is 4-1 during this postseason.