6 hours ago
4
Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin was ejected in the first quarter of Game 4 on Sunday for hitting the Cleveland Cavaliers’ De’Andre Hunter in the chest with a closed fist.
Even without one of their top scorers, the Pacers tied an NBA playoff record by taking a 41-point half-time lead and rolled past the Cavaliers 129-109 to take a 3-1 lead in this Eastern Conference semifinal series. With Donovan Mitchell missing the second half because of an injured left ankle, the Cavs had no chance to recover.
Replays showed Mathurin extending his fist into Hunter, who responded by wagging his finger at Mathurin and following him toward midcourt, where he shoved Mathurin to the ground with two hands. Pacers center Myles Turner then ran across the court and ran into Hunter.
After a replay review, the referees called Mathurin for a flagrant 2, an automatic ejection, drawing a chorus of boos from Pacers fans. Technical fouls were given to Turner and Hunter.
“I had a lot of questions about it,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “I saw one still shot where it looked he had his hand flat, you know? But they a lot of different views. Whatever happened, happened. He’ll accept the ejection and whatever else happens from it. We’ve just got to move forward.”
The Pacers can close out the series and earn their second straight appearance in the conference finals Tuesday in Cleveland, where they won the first two games.
Mathurin did not score in his 80 seconds on the court. Hunter, who missed Game 2 with an injured wrist, had five points and four rebounds while Turner made all four of his three-point attempts and finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Mathurin was also involved in a scuffle with Giannis Antetokounmpo when the Pacers eliminated the Bucks in the first-round of the playoffs.
In Sunday’s other game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder finally outplayed Denver in crunch time, beating the Nuggets 92-87 to tie their second-round series at two games apiece.
The Thunder trailed 69-63 after three quarters and fell behind by eight when Peyton Watson started the fourth quarter by swishing a hook shot. But Oklahoma City used an 11-0 run fueled by reserves Cason Wallace, who had a pair of three-pointers, and Aaron Wiggins, who added another, to take control. Wallace’s second three-pointer put Oklahoma City ahead for good at 75-73.
The Nuggets had outlasted the youngest team in the NBA with wins in Games 1 and 3, crediting their playoff experience and championship pedigree. And they looked poised to put the top-seeded team in the West one game from elimination when Aaron Gordon’s turnaround jumper made it 73-66. This time, however, it was the Thunder who came up big down the stretch.
Nikola Jokić led Denver with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Christian Braun and Jamal Murray each had 17 points and Gordon scored 15. Michael Porter Jr scored just three points after scoring 15 Friday night. Wiggins and Wallace each added 11 points and Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams each scored 10. Williams was 2 for 13 from the floor after scoring 32 in Game 3.
Game 5 is Tuesday night back in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder had a 43-point blowout of the Nuggets in Game 2.
