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Tyrese Haliburton and the host Indiana Pacers stole one from the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night before a sellout crowd of 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana forced two turnovers in the final 29 seconds of overtime, and Haliburton blew past Giannis Antetokounmpo for the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 series win.
The Pacers closed the game with an 8-0 run over the final 40 seconds of overtime to eliminate the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season. The Pacers will face top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
A schedule for the Cleveland series hasn’t yet been determined. The first two games will be played in Cleveland followed by two in Indianapolis.
Haliburton had 26 points and 10 assists as he improved to 9-0 in home playoff games. This chippy playoff series ended fittingly with a shoving match between the teams at midcourt.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo tried to will the short-handed Bucks to victory, finishing with 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists, and Gary Trent Jr. made eight 3-pointers and scored 33 points for Milwaukee.
But Trent was also the culprit in the two turnovers late in OT. His inbound pass was stolen by Andrew Nembhard Jr., leading to a three-point play by Haliburton. And then, with the Bucks leading by one and just needing to maintain possession and get to the free-throw line, the Pacers pressured the ball, forcing Milwaukee to scramble. Trent couldn’t control an errant pass and lost the ball out of bounds with 10.8 seconds left.
After Haliburton converted the go-ahead shot, all Milwaukee could manage was a nearly full-court heave by Trent that had no chance.
Myles Turner had 21 points and nine rebounds while Aaron Nesmith added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers. Nembhard made a 3-pointer to start Indiana’s closing run and finished with 15 points.
In an effort to avoid a third straight first-round exit, Bucks coach Doc Rivers plugged guards AJ Green and Kevin Porter Jr. and forward Bobby Portis Jr. into the starting lineup. The Bucks were missing 10-time All-Star Damian Lillard, who tore his left Achilles tendon in Game 4 on Sunday night.
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YES CERS!!!
They’re about to get shellacked by Cleveland.
Would be like a day without orange juice, without reading a negative comment from Murray. He’s pure negativity. “Get off my lawn.”