NBA: Haliburton's buzzer-beater leads Pacers to victory in Cleveland; Warriors beat Wolves despite Curry's absence

The exciting NBA playoffs continued on Tuesday with visiting teams asserting dominance, pushing home teams to a staggering 0-5 record in the semifinals. In the East, the Indiana Pacers pulled off another surprise, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-119 to take a 2-0 series lead—sealed by a clutch three-pointer from Tyrese Haliburton with just 1.1 seconds remaining.

Meanwhile, in the Wild West, the Golden State Warriors overcame an early injury to star Stephen Curry to pull off a surprising 99-88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In a rare display this season, Steve Kerr’s Warriors controlled the game using a strategy reminiscent of their Game 7 win over the Houston Rockets: a zone defense that neutralized Anthony Edwards and limited the physical impact of the Timberwolves.

With Stephen Curry sidelined from the second quarter due to a hamstring injury—after a scoring burst that gave the Warriors a ten-point lead—Buddy Hield (24 points, eight rebounds, three assists), Jimmy Butler (20 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists), and Draymond Green (18 points, eight rebounds, six assists) stepped up to fill the scoring void left by "Chef."

Ultimately, thanks to stellar defense and efficient three-point shooting, the Warriors managed to withstand the absence of their star—who is expected to miss Game 2 and potentially a significant portion of the series against Minnesota.

Earlier, Haliburton—the Pacers’ undisputed leader—seized the moment to send a message to those who had voted for him anonymously as the NBA most improved player.

"I'm at peace with my game," Haliburton said. "I have all the confidence in the world to make these shots."

"It’s the NBA, crazier things have happened. That’s just what basketball is. We don’t give up and we’re battle tested."

The sequence that led to the Pacers' win began with Max Strus, who mishandled a handoff following a Cleveland timeout, setting the stage for the Cavs' collapse and another home loss.

With 28 seconds remaining, Haliburton drove into the court, drew a foul, made one of two free throws, grabbed his own rebound, and then hit a three-pointer to secure the Pacers' victory.

"It's hard to put this into words," coach Rick Carlisle said. "Cleveland hit us with a hellacious punch early in the game. In the fourth, we just hung on."

"Ty [Haliburton] Ty hit another amazing shot to win the game. You don’t see this very often, let alone twice in one week. Tyrese, he came through again. We’re very fortunate," he added.

Haliburton, 25, had an uncharacteristic night, taking just 11 shots—two of which were three-pointers—finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

The series on the road to Indianapolis

It was a dramatic and unexpected finish, marred by mistakes from the Cavaliers, who missed consecutive free throws, committed costly turnovers, and failed to secure the game’s most crucial rebound.

Cleveland was without Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter for the game.

Mobley was voted Defensive Player of the Year for the 2024-2025 season.

The absence of these three key players elevated the responsibility on Donovan Mitchell, who stepped up with 48 points, nine assists, and five rebounds.

"We can't let our leader carry everything," said Jarrett Allen. "We outplayed them most of the game and faltered at the end, we found the system and we have to find a way to replicate it in Indiana."

Mitchell, 28, played with increased aggressiveness on the court, earning 21 trips to the free-throw line, where he converted 17 points.

After trailing by as many as 20 points, the Pacers kicked off the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run.

Aaron Nesmith (23 points) and Myles Turner (23 points) combined for 46 points, leading Indiana in scoring.

The series continues on Friday with the first of two back-to-back games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where the Pacers will have the opportunity to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.