On May 5, the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals officially kicked off, with the Indiana Pacers challenging the Cleveland Cavaliers away. In the end, the Pacers defeated the Cavaliers 121-112 with a better overall performance, leading the series 1-0 and taking the lead.

In this game, the Pacers showed strong offensive execution and teamwork. The whole team blossomed in many places, with a total of six players scoring in double digits. Among them, the backcourt core Haliburton once again played an all-around performance, scoring 22 points, 13 assists and 3 blocks, and was the absolute core of the team's rhythm control. Nembhard performed brilliantly, scoring a team-high 23 points and sending out 6 assists, and was the key to the Pacers' victory.

At the beginning of the game, the Pacers showed a strong desire to attack. In the first quarter, they played a climax with a higher conversion efficiency, scoring 36 points in a single quarter, leading the Cavaliers by as many as 11 points. In the second quarter, the Cavaliers gradually regained their form, and with Mitchell's explosion, they scored 33 points in a single quarter , narrowing the score. At the end of the half, the Pacers maintained a 64-58 lead.

After the change of sides, the two sides went back and forth, with a tight rhythm. For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell was in hot form, scoring 33 points , 5 rebounds and 4 assists, becoming the team's most stable scoring point on the offensive end. Evan Mobley also performed well, contributing a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Jerome on the bench also had a brilliant performance with 21 points and 8 assists. Although the Cavaliers were still behind at the end of the third quarter, they were unable to overtake in the final quarter.

In the final quarter, the Pacers relied on the calm handling of Haliburton and Siakam to score consecutively, and the defense forced the Cavaliers to make many mistakes. The Cavaliers only scored 22 points in the fourth quarter and lost the opportunity to continue to catch up. In the end, the Pacers relied on stable performance to beat the Cavaliers 121-112 and grab the first victory of the series.

In this game, the Pacers not only played smoothly on the offensive end, but also played well on the defensive end, which made the Cavaliers repeatedly fall into a scoring drought. In addition to Haliburton and Nembhard, Nesmith contributed 17 points and 8 rebounds, Siakam also scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and Turner even sent out comprehensive data of 13 points , 12 rebounds , 3 steals and 2 blocks, which reflected the Pacers' excellent inside dominance and lineup depth.

Although the Cavaliers lost with honor, their core players are in good shape, but their overall offense and defense are a bit scattered. They still need to strengthen their restrictions on Haliburton and their own offensive connection efficiency in the next games.

With this victory, the Pacers will take the initiative psychologically. The next game will continue in Cleveland. It will be worth looking forward to whether the Cavaliers can adjust their state and tie the score.