The Indiana Pacers overcame the first-quarter ejection of Bennedict Mathurin to rout the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-109, taking a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final series.
Mathurin was ejected for a punch, but Indiana surged ahead, setting a franchise playoff record with 80 first-half points.
Pascal Siakam scored 21, while Myles Turner and Obi Toppin added 20 each.
The Cavaliers were without an injured Donovan Mitchell in the second half. A Pacers win in Cleveland on Wednesday would send them to the Conference Finals.
In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder leveled their series against the Denver Nuggets at 2-2 with a 92-87 win.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 for the Thunders, while Nikola Jokic had 27 for Denver.
Nuggets coach David Adelman called it a “really disgusting basketball game” due to fatigue. The Thunders host Game 5 on Wednesday.
