Pacers' Bennedict Mathurin Ejected for Hitting Cavs' De'Andre Hunter in Chest in G4

The Indiana Pacers lost a key member of their rotation early in Sunday's Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin was ejected from the game with just under five minutes left in the first quarter after being called for a flagrant-2 foul for hitting Cavs wing De'Andre Hunter in the chest. Hunter shoved him to the ground in retaliation, causing the officials to review the incident and eject Mathurin.

Mathurin came off the bench and had only been on the floor for a minute before his interaction with Hunter. The punch he threw to Hunter's chest caused him to keel over in pain before he fought back. After Hunter shoved Mathurin to the ground, Pacers center Myles Turner shoved him in the back as more players stepped into the fray. Thankfully, the incident didn't go beyond that.

The issues between Mathurin and Hunter had been brewing for a while. They were assessed double technical fouls for an incident in Friday's Game 3, which the Cavs won 126-104.

Mathurin entered Sunday's game averaging 17.7 points in the series against Cleveland. He had a team-high 23 points in Friday's loss, following up a 19-point performance in Indiana's Game 2 victory.

Despite losing Mathurin, the Pacers caught fire soon after the exchange. They ended the first quarter with a 38-23 lead and opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run.

It won't be easy, but the Cavs need to find some inspiration quickly if they hope to avoid falling into a 3-1 series hole. Cleveland was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, so another loss in the conference semifinals will surely be disappointing.