The Pacers entered halftime with a 41-point lead, having absolutely dominated during the opening two quarters on their home court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. It was nothing short of a shellacking, as Indiana more than doubled the total points scored by the Cavs in the first half, 80–39.

Haliburton finished with 19 points (7-11 FG, 2-2 3PT, 3-5 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, one block and no turnovers in 36 minutes. He appeared to hurt his wrist in the first half, but remained in the game and got an X-ray at halftime.

Early in the game, there was a dust-up between the two teams. Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin hit Cavs forward De'Andre Hunter in the chest, and Hunter reacted by shoving Mathurin to the ground. Pacers center Myles Turner then took a shot at Hunter in retaliation.