Another enthralling edition of Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks is in the books as the Pacers picked up a 115-114 win over the Bucks at home in a thrilling clash. A Tyrese Haliburton four-point play sealed the game, as the point guard was fouled on a game-tying three and won the game at the line.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 25 points (10-15 FG), 12 rebounds, and five assists. Bennedict Mathurin came off the bench to score 17 points (5-12 FG) while Tyrese Haliburton had 14 points (5-12 FG), 10 assists, and two steals. Myles Turner had 13 points (5-12 FG) and six rebounds, Andrew Nembhard had 12 points (4-6 FG), while TJ McConnell had 12 points (6-9 FG), seven assists, and four steals in the win.
Brook Lopez was the Bucks’ leader in points with 23 (9-11 FG) and seven rebounds. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a quiet 19 points (9-14 FG), 17 rebounds, and seven assists while Taurean Prince contributed 18 points (7-16 FG) and six rebounds. Damian Lillard disappointed with 15 points (4-14 FG) and 11 assists, with no other Bucks player scoring in double-digits.
Let’s take a deeper look at this game and analyze its major takeaways.
Tyrese Haliburton With A Finish For The Ages
This was arguably one of the best endings to a game this regular season. The best-case scenario when the Pacers inbounded for their final possessions seemed to be a three-pointer which sent the game to OT where their home crowd could rally them to the win. Tyrese Haliburton scored just 10 points in the game until the final possession, where he made magic happen.
Coming off the inbounds, Haliburton used an off-ball screen to get open and take a falling three-point jumper from the left side which was fully guarded by Giannis. However, Giannis’ aggressive defense would register a valid foul and Haliburton anyway converted the opportunity, letting him win the game at the line instead of having to make three FTs to send it to OT.
TYRESE HALIBURTON FOUR-POINT PLAY TO WIN IT 😱 pic.twitter.com/BfhuhcEQdZ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 12, 2025
This was a bad possession by Giannis and will haunt him given the rivalry between the franchises from last season. Damian Lillard was watching from the bench for this defensive possession, with Haliburton now registering multiple iconic moments at the expense of the Bucks, including his first-ever Playoff series win.
A Worrying Playoff Preview For The Bucks
At this point in the season, the most likely playoff matchup is the Eastern Conference 4-5 matchup between the Bucks and Pacers. The teams are currently tied for the spot with identical 36-28 records. They’re five games behind the No. 3 seed, although one of the Bucks or Pacers could see their Playoff rematch ruined if the Detroit Pistons (37-29) jump them.
The Bucks lost in the first round of the Playoffs to the Pacers last season, with many blaming injuries. This was a healthy matchup between the franchises and was evenly contested. The Bucks shot 43-84 (51.2 FG%) from the field and 14-36 from three (38.9 3P%). The Pacers edged them out with 44-87 (50.6 FG%) and 13-39 (33.3 3P%).
Milwaukee won the rebounding battle 44-38, but the Pacers’ active perimeter defense haunted them all night. The Bucks committed 15 turnovers (11 Pacers’ steals) while Indiana committed just nine of them. In a one-point loss with a freak ending, the Bucks will lament losing this game and being outplayed on the margins.
The Pacers might have benefitted from injury luck last season in the Playoffs, but if these teams rematch this season, Indiana could repeat their heroics with both teams 100% healthy.
Giannis And Lillard Disappoint
This was a concerning performance for the big Bucks duo. They combined for 34 points primarily because the Pacers’ defense had set up to ensure these two players didn’t go off for big nights. Giannis looked efficient and impactful but managed to take only 14 shot attempts, while Lillard fell into some bad shot selection as he was trying to chuck shots to break through cold spells.
The focus on Giannis and Lillard allowed the space for Brook Lopez and Taurean Prince to perform well above their season averages, but teams will live with that if the star duo is neutralized. Lopez went 9-11 from the field primarily because the Pacers were more focused on blocking off the lane for Giannis from the perimeter rather than ensuring Lopez was sealed away from the rim by Turner or Siakam.
Lillard wasn’t having a ridiculous shotmaking night as the Pacers’ aggressive defense with multiple swingmen and tenacious guards like McConnell made his night worse. It was a masterclass on how to stop this star duo, with Indiana benefitting from their lucky final play and the fact new addition Kyle Kuzma had just nine points (4-9 FG), one of his quietest performances since joining the Bucks in February.
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