Tyrese Haliburton knocked down a 3-pointer and a free throw in the final seconds to propel the Indiana Pacers to a miraculous 115-114 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks in Indianapolis on Tuesday night.
Pascal Siakam led Indiana, which ended a three-game skid, with 25 points and 12 boards. Bennedict Mathurin added 17 points and Haliburton scored 14.
Brook Lopez scored 23 points for Milwaukee, which lost its third in a row. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 19 points and added 17 boards but committed the foul on Haliburton’s 3-pointer.
Indiana came out firing in the fourth, opening on an 11-5 run. The Pacers built a 10-point lead.
The Bucks responded with a 10-0 run of their own. Milwaukee then went on another 5-0 run to re-take the lead at 112-110 with just over a minute to play.
The Bucks went up by three with two free throws before Indiana had one final shot and Haliburton knocked down the 3-pointer from the corner with 3.4 seconds to play.
The Bucks challenged the foul call, but it was upheld due to Antetokounmpo not allowing Haliburton to land safely.
Antetokounmpo then missed what would have been a game-winning 28-foot shot.
This was about as tightly contested as it gets from the get-go. There were nine lead changes in the first quarter alone as the Pacers went into the second up 32-28.
The game was nearly tied going into halftime, but Antetokounmpo missed two free throws in the final seconds and the Pacers went into the break up 57-55. The teams traded 8-0 runs in the second.
Siakam led with 16 points in the half while Taurean Prince had 14 for Milwaukee. Both teams shot right around 50 percent, including 38 percent from deep, and each had both 22 boards and 17 assists.
Milwaukee won the third quarter 33-31 and tied the game at 88 going into the fourth.
It was Indiana’s first win against Milwaukee this season after losing the first two. The Pacers now have a chance to even the season series 2-2 in the final matchup on Saturday, which could play a factor in playoff seeding.
–Field Level Media
