Buddy Hield is ON FIRE in Game 7 😳

When the stakes were highest and the pressure at its peak, Buddy Hield rose to the occasion and delivered the performance of his career. In a do-or-die Game 7, Hield caught absolute fire, pouring in shot after shot and lifting the Indiana Pacers to a thrilling win that will be remembered for years. With the lights brightest and the moment demanding greatness, Buddy answered with a flamethrower.

From the opening tip, it was clear Hield was locked in. He came out aggressive, drilling his first three-pointer from well beyond the arc. That shot was a warning of what was to come—a barrage of scoring that the opposing defense simply couldn’t stop. By the end of the first quarter, Hield had already scored 14 points, giving the Pacers an early spark and momentum they desperately needed on the road.

But he didn’t stop there. Whether he was curling off screens, spotting up in transition, or creating off the dribble, Hield made it look easy. He finished the night with 35 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including a red-hot 8-of-11 from three-point range. Every time the Cavaliers made a run to cut the lead, Hield had an answer—usually from deep, often with a defender draped all over him.

“Buddy was unconscious tonight,” said Tyrese Haliburton after the game. “When he gets in that zone, you just get him the ball and watch. He was the difference-maker, no doubt about it.”

Game 7s are often known for defense and grit, but Hield turned this one into a shooting clinic. His confidence was sky-high, and the Cavaliers had no answer. They tried going over screens, switching defenders, even blitzing him at the top—but nothing worked. Hield found seams, maintained composure, and kept his foot on the gas.

His performance also came with incredible timing. Hield had been relatively quiet in the series up until this point, playing solid but not spectacular basketball. But in this elimination game, he erupted, showing why he’s one of the NBA’s most dangerous shooters when he gets hot.

“I just stayed ready,” Hield said postgame. “It’s Game 7—you either go home or go forward. I wasn’t ready to go home.”

The Pacers fed off Hield’s energy all night. His big shots lifted the bench, silenced the Cleveland crowd, and gave Indiana the belief that they could pull it off. With every made three, his confidence—and the Pacers’—only grew.

In the final minutes, with the Cavaliers mounting one last push, it was again Hield who hit the dagger—a contested corner three that stretched the lead to eight and effectively sealed the game. The bench exploded. The crowd went quiet. Buddy Hield had done it.

This was more than just a great performance—it was a legacy moment. In one of the biggest games of his career, Buddy Hield caught fire and refused to let the Pacers lose. Game 7 belonged to him.

🔥