It took a while for the Indiana Pacers to wake up in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, but once they did, Tyrese Haliburton & Co. did everything in their power to knock the Bucks out of the postseason on their home floor.
The Pacers were down early, trailing 30-13 after the first quarter in a very disappointing start to the contest. The Bucks were firing on all cylinders, looking to keep their postseason alive without Damian Lillard, who tore his Achilles in Game 4 of the series.
The Pacers clawed back into the game in the second half and forced overtime, with the game tied at 103 apiece. The Bucks came out firing to control nearly the entirety of overtime, holding a seven-point lead with 47 seconds to play. That's when all hell broke loose.
Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard made a 33-footer off a fast break to cut the lead to four. After a timeout, Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr., who scored 33 points in the contest, threw the ball away. Haliburton went in for a layup and got fouled, and his free throw cut the Milwaukee lead to one.
On the next possession, Trent lost the ball out of bounds with 10 seconds remaining, unable to handle a pass, giving the Pacers would have one final chance. Haliburton took the ball on the left wing with Giannis Antetokounmpo guarding him, and drove to his right past the Bucks star for the game-winning layup with one second remaining.
IT’S ALWAYS HALIBURTON. pic.twitter.com/776qIIP5Yf
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) April 30, 2025
The closing flurry from Indiana—an 8-0 spurt in less than a minute—sunk the Bucks and ended their season.
Could this be the beginning of the end of the Antetokounmpo era in Milwaukee? Time will tell.
The Pacers will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Milwaukee Bucks Collapse, Give Up 8-0 Run in Final Seconds of Overtime for Shocking Loss.
