INDIANAPOLIS — Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers stole one from the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night (Wednesday, April 30, 2025, PH time).
Indiana forced two turnovers in the final 29 seconds of overtime (OT), and Haliburton blew past two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a 119-118 victory and a 4-1 series win.
The Pacers closed the game with an 8-0 run over the final 40 seconds of OT to eliminate the Bucks in the first round for the second straight season. They will face top-seeded Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Haliburton had 26 points and 10 assists as he improved to 9-0 in home playoff games. This chippy playoff series ended fittingly with a shoving match between the teams at midcourt. Haliburton’s father, John, sparked the fracas when he ran onto the court and started talking to Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo tried to will the short-handed Bucks to victory, finishing with 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 13 assists, and Gary Trent Jr. made eight three-pointers and scored 33 points for Milwaukee.
But Trent was also the culprit in the two turnovers late in OT. His inbound pass was stolen by Andrew Nembhard Jr., leading to a three-point play by Haliburton. And then, with the Bucks leading by one and just needing to maintain possession and get to the free-throw line, the Pacers pressured the ball, forcing Milwaukee to scramble. Trent couldn’t control an errant pass and lost the ball out of bounds with 10.8 seconds left.
After Haliburton converted the go-ahead shot, all Milwaukee could manage was a nearly full-court heave by Trent that had no chance.
Myles Turner had 21 points and nine rebounds, while Aaron Nesmith added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers. Nembhard made a three-pointer to start Indiana’s closing run and finished with 15 points.
Celtics win series
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum had 35 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds, and the Boston Celtics pulled away after Magic star Paolo Banchero went to the bench with five fouls, beating Orlando 120-89 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The defending NBA champions will play either the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons in the second round. The Knicks lead their series 3-2 despite falling 106-103 earlier Tuesday in New York.
Franz Wagner scored 25 points, Banchero had 19, and Wendell Carter Jr. had 12 points and 10 rebounds for
the Magic.
Nuggets 131, Clippers 115
DENVER — Jamal Murray erupted for 43 points and Russell Westbrook chipped in 21 in his return from a foot injury, sparking the Nuggets’ 131-115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers that gave Denver a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Nuggets also got 23 from Game 4 hero Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic’s 21st career playoff triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds,
12 assists).
Again, Denver took a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter only to watch the Clippers go on a furious run, like they did in Game 4 when they erased their entire deficit only to lose 101-99 when Gordon’s buzzer-beater for the first walk-off dunk in NBA playoff history.
This time, the Clippers went on a 17-4 run to cut their deficit to single digits at 116-107, but the Nuggets fended off another frenetic finish by going on an 11-0 run, with Murray scoring six and Gordon five. / AP