The best playoff games leave you drained and speechless. This was one of those games.
It ended in overtime with Tyrese Haliburton and 1 floater in the lane who was the best Pacers All-Star, creating space and making a play.
How we got to that moment was one of the wildest endings to the playoffs (and the season, for that matter).
Indiana came out looking like the early-season version — Haliburton and company literally ran right past Milwaukee, moving the ball, knocking down 3s and playing for free. The Pacers built a 19-point lead, and although the Bucks chipped away at that, dropping to single digits at some points, it was still the Pacers by a dozen at halftime. Then things got hairy in the third quarter and stayed that way until the fourth, setting up the wild ending.
First it was Pascal Siakam, who grabbed the offensive rebound, went to the rim and tied it at 1 with 19.1 seconds left.
The Bucket put the Pacers up by three and Siakam could have made the free throw, but missed the shot. This opened the door for Khris Middleton’s first insane move. (Why the Pacers, up three, didn’t foul Lopez when he got the ball or Middleton before he went up to shoot is beyond me — that’s why you foul smartly on three.)
Middleton’s shot forced extra time, where the combination of sloppy ball and great shooting remained extremely entertaining. It was too late when Aaron Nesmith hit what appeared to be the game-winner with 14.4 seconds remaining. But that left time for Middleton to do what he wanted. Again.
All of this set up the Haliburton game winner.
It was a game that felt a lot like the Pacers’ season, with a quick start thanks to a rushing offense that went cold. Now, Indiana is a team trying to figure out who they are in the playoffs. Game 4 becomes critical for the Bucks, and there is still no word on Antetokounmpo’s status.
Haliburton finished with a triple-double of 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. Myles Turner had 29 points to lead Indiana and added nine rebounds, while Siakam finished with 17 points and Andrew Nembhard – who had a fantastic game – finished with 16.
Middleton teamed up with Antetokounmpo and finished with 42 points and 10 rebounds, while Damian Lillard had 28. Bobby Portis finished with 17 points and 18 rebounds. Milwaukee’s bench scored a total of six points (compared to the Pacers’ 28).
