Halliburton's Three Point Play Silences Bucks as Pacers Win in Overtime
Patrick Beverley and Damian Lillard often have a lot to say, but Tyrese Halliburton had the last word as his Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime, 121-118. The 2024 regular season assist champion showcased his versatility with 18 points, a game-high 16 assists, and 10 rebounds while posting a game-high +16 plus/minus number, but Halliburton saved his best for last: Halliburton received an inbounds pass in the backcourt, took a running start, faked Beverley out of his shorts, and then lofted a runner in the paint to give the Pacers a 120-118 lead with 1.4 seconds remaining in overtime. Beverley got back in the play just in time to foul Halliburton, and Halliburton capped off the scoring by making his free throw. Khris Middleton's three pointer at the buzzer came up short, and the Pacers took a 2-1 series lead.
Myles Turner led the Pacers with 29 points, and he collected nine rebounds. He shot 10-21 from the field, including 4-10 from three point range as he provided floor spacing from the center position. Pascal Siakam, who won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, was a calming influence with 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists after exploding for 36 points and 13 rebounds in game one and then producing 37 points and 11 rebounds in game two. The other Indiana starters, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith, scored 16 and 13 points respectively, and Obi Toppin chipped in 15 points and six rebounds in just 17 minutes off of the bench.
Khris Middleton, who has been hobbled by injuries the past two years after making the All-Star team three times in a four season span, had a flashback performance with 42 points on 16-29 field goal shooting, 10 rebounds, and five assists. He hit several clutch shots, including a 30 foot three pointer with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Damian Lillard added 28 points, but he shot just 6-20 from the field, and Milwaukee's offense flowed much better when Middleton was in control late in the game after Lillard suffered an Achilles injury that turned him into a decoy. Bobby Portis had 17 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, and center Brook Lopez added 14 points but snared just four rebounds as the Pacers outrebounded the Bucks, 50-43. Beverley had a -8 plus/minus number and six fouls in 42 minutes, and the ratio of his trash talk and fouls committed to his defensive effectiveness was not positive for the Bucks. As Russell Westbrook once sagely noted to a media swarm, "Pat Bev trick y'all, man, like he playing defense. He don't guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing."
Hubie Brown provided the color commentary for ESPN. Brown was an assistant coach with the Bucks from 1972-74 before leading the Kentucky Colonels to the 1975 ABA championship with a 4-1 win over the Indiana Pacers as part of the Interstate 65 rivalry between those two stalwart ABA franchises.
The Pacers led 39-22 after the first quarter, and at that point it did not seem likely that the game would be competitive, let alone have a classic overtime finish. Toppin scored 11 first quarter points on 5-5 field goal shooting, and the Pacers hit five three pointers while the Bucks shot just 6-20 (.300) from the field. The Pacers' bench outscored the Bucks' bench 19-2 in the first quarter. Brown noted that Milwaukee's perimeter defense is poor and that the Pacers are outstanding at pushing the ball and then spreading the court to create open shots. Brown declared that the Pacers are "at the top of their game, playing with tremendous confidence," and he praised their "full court passing." The Pacers finished the game with 32 assists on 45 field goals made.
During the second quarter, Brown said, "I would like to see Lopez in the painted area." Lopez scored 10 second quarter points on 5-5 field goal shooting as the Bucks outscored the Pacers 33-28 to pull within 67-55 by halftime. Lillard scored just nine first half points on 2-10 field goal shooting, and Portis had two first half points on 1-6 field goal shooting. Brown prophetically said that in order for the Bucks to get back in the game they need more production from both of those players; they combined to score 34 second half points as the Bucks rallied to nearly pull off a road win.
The Bucks slowed the Pacers down in the third quarter and held them to 1-9 three point field goal shooting while winning that stanza 28-23 to enter the fourth quarter trailing 90-83. Middleton scored 11 fourth quarter points on 5-6 field goal shooting as the Bucks completed their comeback and even took the lead before forcing overtime.
Middleton scored all seven of the Bucks' points in overtime while the Pacers spread out their scoring among four different players.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has yet to play in this series due to a calf injury, and his status is still uncertain. Now that Lillard is hobbled by an Achilles injury, the Bucks may be just a couple games away from seeing their season come to an unexpectedly early conclusion.
Labels: Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hubie Brown, Indiana Pacers, Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks, Myles Turner, Pat Beverley, Tyrese Haliburton
posted by David Friedman @ 11:57 PM
