Donovan Mitchell scored 43 points on Friday, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a crucial victory over the Indiana Pacers 126-104 as the Denver Nuggets beat Oklahoma City in an overtime thriller.

Cleveland is the highest seed in the East, leaning against a wall after giving up his first two games at home after a 64-season regular season victory, the fact that no NBA team has lagged 3-0 to win the series, making Friday’s game a must-win.

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Mitchell's 48 points in Game 2 weren't enough to resist the angry Pacers' comeback, and he was once again outstanding, adding nine rebounds, five assists and steals.

He has a lot of support after the injury of All-Star guard Darius Garland, who was defensive player of the year Evan Mobley and Key Reserve De'andre Hunter as the Cavaliers hit 2-1 in the best seven-game semifinals.

Garland missed the past four games with a sprained toe and scored 10 points, Mobley missed a game with a sprained ankle, and he scored 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks as Cavaliers Defense Limited had two games, with two heroes Tyrese Haliburton reaching four points.

Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers to lead the Pacers with 23 points, but the Cavaliers couldn't sway a magic trick that allowed them to remove the seven-point deficit at the last minute of Tuesday's victory.

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Cleveland led 11-0 and never fell behind. They lead by up to 15 before the Pacers tied for the first phase before the second quarter 32-32.

But Cleveland once again took over the initiative, maintaining Halliburton's scoring on the way to a 66-45 half-time lead.

Indiana cut the 24-point deficit by 11 points with 7:49 left in the fourth quarter, but Mitchell drilled one of his five threes and fed Max Struth to the other, and the Cavaliers evacuated again.

Mitchell said it was a response about a physics game that sometimes turns into a will.

"It's hard to beat a team to 20 - we saw the last game, and even in our position, it's hard to maintain the lead - in this league, it's also hard."

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"They aren't a team that's easy to fold. We let a person slip away in a similar way, so for me, we can't let it happen again. But for me, just want to be an invader.

"It's not just me," he added. "I know I scored, but we stopped and made the game."

Cleveland will try to upgrade the series when the Pacers host Game 4 on Sunday.

- Denver Rule OT-

In Denver, Jamal Murray scored 27 points and Aaron Gordon added 22 points - including a three-pointer sent to overtime, where the Nuggets led with a 113-104 victory and a 2-1 series lead.

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In the second game, these Nuggets have to fight throughout the game, with 15 leading changes. These included six in the fourth quarter, when both teams were above three.

Denver-dominated NBA's most valuable player, Nikola Jokic, had only 15 points in 15 shots on the court and scored 16 rebounds.

Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who poured Jokic into the MVP vote this season, also struggled, with only seven points in his 22 attempts.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 32 points, Chet Holmgren added 18 points and 16 rebounds to Oklahoma City, the best seed in the Western Conference, after leading the league with 68 regular season wins.

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But Jokic drove to the first overtime, Michael Porter Jr.

"It's everyone," Murray said. "They're a great team. They tested us all night and we were able to stick with it and get the win. So it's a great team win."

The Nuggets will try to expand their strengths when they host their fourth game on Sunday.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” Murray said. “We know we can be better than that.”

BB/RCW