The Indiana Pacers put the Cleveland Cavaliers in dead bed with a 129-109 blowout victory on Sunday, more shocking than the final score suggests.
Early in the game, there was a dust between the two teams. Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin hit Cavs forward De'andre Hunter in the chest, who reacted by pushing Mathurin to the ground. Myles Turner at the Pacers Center then retaliated at Hunter.
Mathurin was evaluated as having a blatant 2 foul and was deported. As one X user argued, this is a controversial decision.
"For the first time in NBA history, a player popped up to pop a light hand to the opponent's chest," the user wrote. "Mathurin's shooting should be reversed. The NBA is a joke."
In NBA history, the player who was popped up for the first time was popped up, opening his opponent's chest. Mathurin's ejection should be reversed. The NBA is a joke. pic.twitter.com/qfhc8goeqw
- Savannah (@sassygw5) May 12, 2025
Some fans seem to agree.
"Are we really defending the catapult* that was commented* in the game?" wrote one fan.
“There is some self-respect.”
Are we really defending the catapult you reviewed in 41 games?
- RB (@rbaroff427) May 12, 2025
Have some self-respect.
"Is this a game from the 80s?" another fan wrote.
Is this a game from the 1980s?
- oggamermike (@oggamermike) May 12, 2025
Another fan wrote: "The person who popped up the wrong one."
The error pops up
- Bluebirds (@bluebirdsees) May 12, 2025
The fourth fan wrote: "The hand can obviously be opened." "Referee comic."
The hand was obviously open there. The referee is ridiculous.
- Balls66 (@davenut66) May 12, 2025
"It's obvious that the referee wants the Cavaliers to win," the fifth fan claimed. "Keep the pace and the pace of the Pacers makes the referee irrelevant."
It is obvious that the referee wants the Cavaliers to win. Keep pace and pressure Pacers’ pace so that the referee doesn’t matter.
- Catalyst Productions (@catalistBeats) May 12, 2025
Another fan claimed: "The NBA hates the Indiana Pacers."
The NBA hates Indiana Pacers
- Jeremy Carpenter (@jcarp3029) May 12, 2025
Indiana led 22-10 at the time of the dispute. From there, its lead will only grow. At the first half, the first half was just over three minutes and led 61-37, giving it an incredible 80-39 advantage at the end of the half.
To make the Cavaliers worse, their best player, Donovan Mitchell, missed the second half due to an injured ankle. Mitchell's head coach Kenny Atkinson will have an MRI on his injured ankle, meaning his position in Northeast Ohio's fifth game is questionable.
The Pacers will now lead a team to a three-game game in the regular season, 64-18, and it looks almost unparalleled.
Related: Donovan Mitchell