Donovan Mitchell goes off as Cavaliers take Game 3 from Pacers

Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 126-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Friday in Indianapolis.

Mitchell, who added nine rebounds, made 14-of-29 shots from the floor and 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. The six-time All-Star drained five 3-pointers after entering the contest just 2-for-18 from beyond the arc.

The top-seeded Cavaliers outscored Indiana by a 34-13 margin in the second quarter en route to cutting their deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Sunday in Indianapolis.

Max Strus collected 20 points and seven rebounds, Jarrett Allen had 19 and 12 and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley added 18 and 13, respectively, in his return from a one-game absence due to a sprained left ankle.

Darius Garland finished with just 10 points while being plagued by foul trouble. He was playing in his first game since April 23 because of a sprained left toe.

Cleveland held a decisive 56-37 edge in rebounds, including an 18-4 advantage on the offensive end.

Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin scored 23 points off the bench and Pascal Siakam added 18.

Star Tyrese Haliburton was limited to just four points on 2-of-8 shooting for the fourth-seeded Pacers.

Siakam made a basket on the interior to forge a 36-36 tie before Cleveland went on a 30-9 run to end the second quarter. Strus, Mitchell and Sam Merrill each made 3-pointers during that sequence.

Andrew Nembhard drained consecutive 3-pointers to trim Indiana's deficit to 15 points at 80-65 with 4:50 remaining of the third quarter. The Cavaliers, however, responded with a 9-0 run to bolster their cushion.

Siakam sank a 3-pointer to bring the Pacers within 11 at 104-93 with 8:26 to play, however Cleveland went on a 19-5 run to seal the victory.

Cleveland scored the first 11 points of the game and upped its advantage to 15 before Indiana responded by scoring 22 of the final 29 points to earn a 32-32 tie at the end of the first quarter.

--Field Level Media