Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin was ejected in the first quarter of a Game 4 matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night after he sparked an altercation with De’Andre Hunter.
Late in the first quarter, with the Pacers up 22-10 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Mathurin was seen hitting Hunter in the chest — which caused Hunter to double over briefly in the lane.
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Mathurin immediately walked backward toward the 3-point line, and Hunter followed. While Mathurin appeared to taunt Hunter a bit with his arms outstretched, Hunter shoved Mathurin hard in the chest and knocked him to the court. That sparked a pretty big altercation and a long review from the officials after things settled.
Eventually, Mathurin was hit with a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected. Hunter, though his shove was far worse than Mathurin’s initial action, was hit with only a technical foul for his retaliatory action. Myles Turner was also assessed a technical foul.
Despite losing Mathurin, the Pacers didn’t slow down in the first period. They jumped to a 38-23 lead after the opening period, thanks in part to an incredible defensive stand late when they held Cleveland without a field goal for more than five minutes. The Pacers went 6 of 10 from the 3-point line in the first 12 minutes and held the Cavaliers to just 4-of-15 shooting.
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The Pacers held a 2-1 series lead entering Sunday’s game. They are trying to make it back to their second straight Eastern Conference finals.
This post will be updated with more information.
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