NBA Playoffs: Cavs take “now or never” game 3 of Pacers as injured stars | NBA

Donovan Mitchell had 43 points and nine rebounds, and that finally beat Cleveland Cavaliers in full strength on Friday evening with 126-104 Indiana to reduce the pacers' lead to 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Eastern Conference.

The road team won all three games in the series, and the Pacers have another chance to break this trend on Sunday in game 4.

Cleveland did not want to fall into a 3-0 hole and used everything in his arsenal to capture this time. He made 14 three-point pointers and held a 56: 37 back edge and even relied on zone defense to slow down the high-quality steps.

And with NBA defensive player of the year, Evan Mabley, All-Star Guard Darius Garland and key backup de'andre Hunter, who were suitable after the missing game 2, Mitchell received the support he needed.

Max Strus made four three -point and ended with 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Three other Cleveland players scored in one night in which the Cavs of so many 26 were given in two figures, never followed and managed to protect their late leadership when the Pacers reduced the deficit at the beginning of the fourth to 11.

Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 23 points. Pascal Siakam had 18 and Tyrese Haliburton ended with four points and five templates in his first career home loss in a post -season game that he appeared.

“It was now or never,” said Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson. “You hurt and hurt. … They showed a lot of strength.”

Oklahoma City Thunder 104-113 Denver Nuggets (OT)

Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Michael Porter Jr. with 21 clutch points and led Denver in the extension in Oklahoma at the top of Oklahoma to achieve a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semi-final series.

Nikola Jokić added 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon had 22 points for the nuggets, which were not more than two points in the regulation, but carried out an 11: 2 run in the additional period.

Jokić went 8 from the field and missed all 10 of his three-point pointers, but began overtime with a finger roll layup and the nuggets were never covered.

The other NBA-MVP Frontrunner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also had a hard night that missed 15 out of 22 shots, which went from depths 1 to 6 and ended with 18 points. Jalen Williams led OKC with 32 points and chet Holmgren typed 18.

Game 4 is on Sunday in the Ball Arena.

It was bound at 102 after the regulation, and both Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić missed potential winners in the last seconds of regulation. SGA missed a 12-foot sweater with a three-second lead and Joker missed a 19-foot buzzer in the buzzer.