INDIANA – Tyrese Haliburton could not find his scoring touch on April 26, but the Indiana Pacers point guard still stole the show when he drove for the game-winning basket against the Milwaukee Bucks in front of his own fans.
The 24-year-old never gave up as the Pacers held off a late Milwaukee charge to beat the Bucks 121-118 in overtime and take a 2-1 lead in their National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference first-round play-off series.
Haliburton, who connected on just eight of his 22 attempts from the field, still delivered a triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 16 assists to help the Pacers withstand a 42-point performance from Khris Middleton.
The Milwaukee forward drilled a three-pointer to tie it with 2.3 seconds left in regulation and made another trey to level at 118-118 with eight seconds left in overtime.
With 1.6 seconds remaining in overtime, Haliburton took an inbound pass and drove for a one-handed floater.
Fouled on the play, he made the free throw to cap the scoring. Middleton, playing through a sprained right ankle, was unable to work another three-point miracle as time expired.
“I just knew I was shooting it no matter what,” Haliburton said.
“And I finally made a shot… I couldn’t buy a bucket today, so I’m glad that one went in.”
The Pacers escaped with the win in a game they led by 19 points in the first quarter and by 17 in the third.
With two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo still sidelined by a calf injury, the Bucks could not match Indiana’s early pace.
Damian Lillard shook off an early injury scare – that had him limping off briefly in the first quarter – to score 19 of his 28 points in the second half to help the Bucks claw back.
They took the lead for the first time on Lillard’s three-pointer early in the fourth quarter, the lead changing hands six times in that period as they battled to overtime.
“Every possession is so valuable,” Haliburton added. “You’ve got to dig in. The game’s never over.”
Myles Turner scored 29 points for the Pacers, who will try to stretch their lead when they host Game 4 on April 28.
“We’ve just got to turn the page and get one win after another,” said Lillard.
The Dallas Mavericks also won at home, cruising to a 101-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference series.
NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic limped out early but returned to score 22 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Mavericks in a testy clash with the Clippers.
Los Angeles’ Russell Westbrook and P.J. Washington of Dallas were both ejected after a shoving match that started with Westbrook’s hard foul on Doncic.
Westbrook received a double technical while Washington had a second tech to go with one he had picked up after a verbal exchange with Terance Mann.
The Mavs were up by 16 points when the players were tossed midway through the fourth quarter.
The Clippers had sliced an 18-point deficit to six late in the third quarter, but Kyrie Irving, who had just two points until the final two minutes of the third period, scored 19 the rest of the way to help Dallas rebuild their lead.
“It’s the will of the champion,” Irving said of staying the course until his shots started falling. “Two points really doesn’t matter – all I care about is winning games.”
James Harden and Norman Powell both scored 21 points for the Clippers.
Elsewhere, Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves, but fell to a 126-109 defeat.
Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 36 points for the visitors, whose 3-0 series lead was a first in franchise history.
The signs are not good for the Suns as no NBA team have rallied from an 3-0 deficit to win a play-off series. AFP, REUTERS
