Bucks forward Khris Middleton was officially declared available and played in Game 3 in Indianapolis, scoring a game-high 42 points in Milwaukee’s 121–118 overtime loss to the Pacers. Middleton was listed as questionable on Friday afternoon due to an ankle sprain, causing him to miss practice with the team on Thursday.
The Bucks have played the first three games of this series without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo with a strained left calf.
Tyrese Haliburton struggled to find his shooting touch on Friday night.
So he looked for other ways to impact the game – slam dunks on rebounds, finding open teammates and patiently waiting for his chance to make a statement. Then in the waning seconds of overtime, Haliburton wanted the ball.
The All-Star guard completed a three-point play with 1.6 seconds remaining, capping his first postseason triple-double in his first home playoff game, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 121–118 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. With Game 4 in Indianapolis on Sunday, Indiana leads the best-of-seven series 2-1.
Haliburton said, “You know no matter what, I was going to shoot it.” “What I was going to get was really based on the feeling there. Khris [Middleton] pushed Pascal [Siakam] up to tell Patrick [Beverly] to go down, and as soon as I saw Patrick I turned my head and saw, I reacted and in the middle everything opened up and I finally made an effort, I couldn’t buy a bucket tonight.”
Haliburton was only 8 of 22 from the field and 1 of 12 on 3-pointers. But he did everything else right, finishing with 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds as two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was out again for Milwaukee with a left calf strain.
Myles Turner added 29 points and nine rebounds, both playoff career highs, to help Indiana earn its first back-to-back postseason wins since scoring three in a row in the 2014 Eastern Conference Semifinals .
The Pacers also have their first lead in the playoffs since Game 3 of their first-round matchup against Cleveland in 2018. Indiana has not won a series since reaching the 2014 East final.
“It was a really fun game and overtime. What more could you ask for?” Haliburton said. “It was a really fun atmosphere.”
Maybe not so much fun for a Bucks team that has grown bruised and battered by the game.
Middleton finished with a playoff career-high 42 points and had 10 rebounds and five assists after missing practice on Thursday because of a right ankle sprain. He forced overtime by making a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds to go in regulation, banked in a 3 to tie the score with 6.7 seconds left in overtime and then missed a 3 at the buzzer to force a second overtime. Could have done.
Damian Lillard added 28 points and eight assists, most of which came after injuring his left knee in the first quarter and then aggravating an Achilles injury late in the fourth quarter.
It was a spectacular finale for Indiana’s first home playoff game since April 21, 2019, in front of a festive crowd wearing gold T-shirts and many local favorite players. The crowd included Indiana Fever newcomer Kaitlin Clark, former Colts coach Tony Dungy, former Pacers forward Derrick McKay and current Colts players Anthony Richardson, Kenny Moore II and E.J. Were included. pace.
But these fans never imagined that the veteran Bucks would have systematically overturned a 19-point first-half deficit to 90-83 after three quarters or rallied to take a 95-92 lead at 10 on Bobby Portis’ putback. Would have started the fourth at -2 runs.
The teams then exchanged baskets, ties and leads over the final seven and a half minutes of regulation, with Siakam’s putback giving the Pacers a 109–106 lead with 19.1 seconds remaining. But Siakam missed the ensuing free throw, Middleton responded with a midrange shot to tie it at 3. Siakam’s long 3 hit the back of the rim at the buzzer to win it.
It was the same in overtime, until Haliburton got free for a midrange shot, which led to a foul and the decisive three-point game.
Siakam had 17 points and nine rebounds. Portis had 17 points and 18 rebounds for the Bucks.
