An extraordinary finish saw Indiana battle back from 118-111 down with 40 seconds of overtime remaining to launch an 8-0 run that culminated with Tyrese Haliburton’s driving layup to clinch victory with 1.3 seconds left on the clock.
“Both teams literally left every single ounce of everything they had out there, including time outs – nobody had anything left,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said afterwards.
“But you know, fortune favors the bold – and our guys were bold in the last three quarters and we’re very grateful and thankful to be moving on,” he added.
The Bucks, trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series, looked poised to force a game six after racing into a hefty 33-13 lead early in the second quarter at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
But the Pacers rallied superbly to drag themselves back into the contest, outscoring Milwaukee 28-17 in the second quarter to trim the Bucks’ lead to just six points at half-time.
A game which saw the lead change hands 13 times ended up going to overtime when Haliburton tied the score at 103-103 at the end of the fourth quarter.
“From our perspective, nothing but respect for the Bucks,” Carlisle said. “What they threw at us was the thing champions do. We didn’t respond well early on. But we showed the kind of resilience we have all year.”
Asked what his message to his players had been after they had fallen 20 points behind early on, Carlisle replied: “Hit somebody.”
Haliburton led Indiana’s scoring with 26 points, five rebounds and nine assists while Myles Turner added 21 points. Aaron Nesmith finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Gary Trent Jr. led the scorers for Milwaukee with 33 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 30 in the absence of the injured Damian Lillard, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Sunday’s game four loss.
The Pacers will now face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. (AFP)
