Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Pacers Edge Out Cavs, Secure Home-Court Advantage in Eastern Conference Playoffs

The Indiana Pacers secured the home-court advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 2014.

Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers outclassed the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 114-112 on Thursday to clinch the home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pacers have already secured their place in the playoffs, and the Pistons’ win against the Knicks has assured Indiana a chance to take the No. 3 seed in the East if they win their final two games while the Knicks lose their remaining games.

Tyrese Haliburton was the top performer for the Pacers with 23 points and 10 assists on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. He also added eight rebounds and three blocks while making four 3-pointers. Aaron Nesmith chipped in 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting and Jarace Walker added 15 points off the bench. Myles Turner dropped 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.

6-game win streak ✅
Home court advantage in the first round ✅

All smiles for @TyHaliburton22 and the @Pacers 😁 pic.twitter.com/qHXG0C9hKg
— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2025

Also Read: NBA’s 2024-2025 Most Valuable Player Race: Who Should Win the Award This Season?

Indiana locks up top-4 seed and homecourt advantage for the playoffs

The Indiana Pacers secured the home-court advantage in a playoff series for the first time since 2014. They are also one win away from their first 50-win season since 2013-14.

The Cavs outscored the Pacers 33-24 in the second quarter to take a four-point advantage at halftime. Caves had a 10-point lead in the third but Pacers sparked a 12-0 run to control the game.

Following a competitive third quarter, the Cavs built a double-digit lead in the middle of the final period. Sam Merrill drained three 3-pointers in the first three minutes to help Caves take a 93-88 lead. The Pacers responded and reduced the deficit to one point.

Caves stretched the lead to seven points through DeAndre Hunter’s consecutive three-pointers. Haliburton’s layup helped Indiana to tie the game at 107 with 4:11 left in the game. The Pacers scored 100+ points in 107 straight games at their home court, breaking the Spurs record set between 1978-1981.

CLUTCH TYRESE HALIBURTON 🤩🤩

HITS BACK-TO-BACK THREES TO GIVE INDIANA A 6-PT LEAD IN THE 4Q!!

Get to TNT for the final minutes 🍿 pic.twitter.com/JUt48O7YgE
— NBA (@NBA) April 11, 2025

Indiana had a 10-run which flipped the 4-point deficit into a six-point lead with about three minutes left. Cleveland got a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession, but Jaylon Tyson missed a 14-foot two-point shot at the buzzer.

Ty Jerome led the Cavaliers with 24 points and DeAndre Hunter added 23 points and 11 rebounds. Craig Porter Jr. dropped 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting off the bench. Sam Merrill had 15 points on five 3-pointers. Cleveland, who clinched the No. 1 seed in the East, played without Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Max Strus.

Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Cleveland Cavaliers

Indiana Pacers

NBA 2024-25

Gulshan Sharma

nba

soccer

wnba

A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.