Friday’s NBA playoffs scores, takeaways: Tyrese Haliburton lifts Pacers in OT

Tyrese Haliburton connected on a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left in overtime to lift the Indiana Pacers to a 2-1 series lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first of three NBA playoff games Friday night:

the overtime game-winner from Tyrese Haliburton 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5VF0IroY54

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 27, 2024

Aaron Nesmith hit a corner 3 with 14.4 seconds left in OT to give the Pacers a three-point lead. Khris Middleton tied it with a 3 of his own before Haliburton’s winner.

Pacers 121, Bucks 118 (OT)

Series: Indiana leads 2-1

Game 4: 7 p.m. ET Sunday, Indiana

Can Pacers keep the ball moving?

It’s the core of the Pacers’ philosophy and the epicenter of basketball, but the ball has to move.

Because of the experience of both Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle and their never-ending chess match, playoff basketball can get extremely ugly at times, as decent-sized chunks of this series have displayed. The Pacers, who usually operate within a high-octane setting, have been forced to play at a slower pace, thanks partly to Rivers’ defensive schemes. But when Indiana has had the upper hand and found areas to be effective, the ball has moved around the floor, giving up good for great shots.

During the regular season, the Pacers were the best in the league at moving the ball, averaging 308.3 passes per game, in addition to leading the NBA in assists per game (30.8). They were also among the top-five teams in secondary and potential assists, further highlighting their commitment to an unselfish brand of basketball.

In Game 2, Indiana registered a whopping 38 assists on 50 made field goals. The Bucks seemingly turned up their defensive aggression another notch Friday, forcing the Pacers to generate consistent offense outside of Pascal Siakam — using a combination of doubles, pressure and zone. By halftime, Indiana had 22 assists, with Haliburton chipping in 10 of them.

The second half (and overtime, especially) turned into a complete slugfest, but the Pacers didn’t succumb to the Bucks’ persistence. Indiana had its fair share of bad basketball, settling for low-efficiency shots, but the ball never stopped moving. The Pacers finished with 32 assists, half of which Tyrese Haliburton was responsible for. Ultimately, Indiana was the last team standing in a thrilling, end-to-end duel. — Kelly Iko

Are the Bucks out of gas?

After being listed as questionable heading into the game, Middleton scored 42 points on 29 shots. He played 41 minutes in a gritty effort through the injury, but in the end, it wasn’t quite enough, and now it’s fair to wonder what the Bucks have left in the tank heading into Game 4.

Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, this veteran team only has so much to give, and losing a 53-minute heartbreaker may put it in a tough spot moving forward.

The Pacers took a 17-point lead after one quarter, and the Bucks clawed all the way back into the game. But down the stretch, they just didn’t have enough size and strength to close out defensive possessions. Regularly during the fourth quarter and overtime, the Pacers beat the Bucks to rebounds and kept possessions alive, which only tired the Bucks further. The Pacers scored 32 points on 19 offensive rebounds, and that ended up being a huge difference.

Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks find themselves at a deficit in many categories, and those deficits all ended up playing out against them Friday. Grabbing a win in Game 4 will be a gargantuan task, but it may be the only way the Bucks can survive this series against the young, upstart Pacers. — Eric Nehm

This story will be updated.

(Photo of Tyrese Haliburton: Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)