Pacers eliminate Bucks with 119-118 OT win

Haliburton finished with 26 points and 10 assists, rebounding from a shaky fourth quarter to seal one of the most dramatic victories in Pacers playoff history.

“This one will go down as one of the all-time great Pacers wins,” said Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle.

Indiana advances to face top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 1 is Sunday.

The Pacers trailed by seven with 34 seconds left in OT, but Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-pointer, then stole the inbounds pass to set up Haliburton’s three-point play. After another Bucks turnover, Haliburton blew past Giannis Antetokounmpo for the winning basket.

Antetokounmpo posted 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 13 assists in a triple-double effort, while Gary Trent Jr. led the Bucks with 33 points and four threes in overtime. But Trent committed two costly turnovers in the final 30 seconds, and his full-court heave at the buzzer came up short.

Myles Turner added 21 points and nine rebounds for Indiana, while Aaron Nesmith had 19 points and 12 boards.

The end of the game featured a brief shoving match at midcourt, sparked by Haliburton’s father running onto the court to confront Antetokounmpo.

Haliburton, unaware of the incident, celebrated atop the scorer’s table as the home crowd erupted.

The loss marks Milwaukee’s third straight first-round exit and second consecutive elimination at the hands of the Pacers. Damian Lillard missed the game after tearing his Achilles in Game 4, and the Bucks started AJ Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Bobby Portis Jr. in his absence.

“We had two huge defensive mistakes,” said Bucks coach Doc Rivers. “Those are the things that just kill you.”