The Cleveland Cavaliers have seen the good and bad from De’Andre Hunter, just as the Atlanta Hawks did for five-plus seasons, and it only took them 27 regular season games and into the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
They already dealt with it in the extreme when Hunter went scoreless for just the second time in his career.
The latest came in a critical Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers.
Hunter finished with 5 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in a bit under 16 minutes of game action in the 129-109 loss. He was 0-for-4 from the floor, including a 0-for-2 mark from beyond the arc, scoring all of his points at the free throw line.
Hunter, 27, had 3 turnovers in the contest, and none of it was his most memorable moment of the contest.
He got into an altercation with Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin.
Mathurin threw what officials deemed a “closed fist punch,” making contact with Hunter’s midsection. After Mathurin backed away, Hunter approached the Pacers youngster and pushed him to the ground with both hands.
Officials ejected Mathurin following the Flagrant 2 foul. They also issued double technical fouls to Hunter and Pacers center Myles Turner.
Mathurin hit Hunter during the play, and then Hunter does a two handed shove into Mathurin’s chest.
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) May 12, 2025
Turner pushes Hunter as Mathurin is on the floor. Words were exchanged, Haliburton starts clapping, Mathurin smiles and the referees review. pic.twitter.com/LjaNM9mS8t
Afterward, Hunter could be seen telling Mathurin, “I’ma see you off the court.”
De'Andre Hunter not deilvering in playoffs for Cavaliers
The Cavaliers earned the best record in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. But they will Pacers next on Thursday, in Indiana, facing elimination in Game 6. Many fans believed Hunter should have also been ejected, or at least Mathurin allowed to remain in the game.
The bigger issue for Cleveland is that Hunter’s scoring droughts have come in critical instances, and he came dangerously close to actively hurting his team in Game 4 versus the Pacers.
Hunter is in Year 2 of a four-year, $90 million contract.
In addition to the draft capital (a pair of future first-round pick swaps), the Cavs also sent Caris LeVert and Georges Niang to the Hawks for Hunter. LeVert is a free agent this offseason while Niang has one more season left on his contract.
The Cavs surely counted on Hunter for more consistency to go with the flashes of offensive brilliance he has. Hunter has 24 total points in this series, and his scoring output has dropped with each game.
He is 6-for-14 overall and 2-for-9 from beyond the arc versus the Pacers.
Hunter and Mathurin have also clashed throughout the matchup, adding context for the display on Sunday and intrigue ahead of the critical (and potentially season-ending for the Cavaliers) Game 5 on Thursday.