The Indiana Pacers are flying under the radar more than possibly any other team in the NBA this season. Indiana is solidly in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference and seems poised to even avoid the play-in tournament.
The Pacers notched another impressive victory in their belt on Tuesday night. The Milwaukee Bucks took a late lead from them with a big 3-pointer by Gary Trent Jr., and free throws eventually extended the lead to 114-111 with under 10 seconds remaining.
Even with things looking bleak, Tyrese Haliburton was able to pull a Houdini act in the final seconds. He took the inbounds pass on the run and went straight into his shot, sinking the 3-pointer even while being fouled by Giannis Antetokounmpo. One free throw later, the Pacers had stolen a 115-114 victory.
Expand Tweet
After the incredible shot, fans all over the NBA took to social media to praise the star point guard.
Expand Tweet
It literally could not be more legendary and poetic than Tyrese Haliburton hitting a game winning and-1 three pointer against our rival teams superstar in front of your home crowd, in front of Reggie Miller, and on national television. Thank you, Tyrese. 🙏🏻
— Zach (@ZachsBag) March 12, 2025
Expand Tweet
Related Indiana Pacers NewsArticle continues below
Tyrese Haliburton jumper was not falling early and he didn't let it affect him as he still was big by forcing his tempo,got shooters the ball, rewarded Bigs for running the floor hard,dropped gems along with defending and by staying engaged and confident it led to a game winner
— Ross Kreines (@rosskre) March 12, 2025
Expand Tweet
Haliburton's shot capped off a night where he didn't shoot the ball all that well overall, so he will be happy to have ended it with a make of that magnitude. He scored just 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting and 2-for-6 from 3-point range, but also added 10 assists to help keep the Indiana offense afloat.
This is a massive win for the Pacers when it comes to the standings in the Eastern Conference. Indiana and the Bucks both sit at 36-28 after this result and are in a three-way tie with the Detroit Pistons for the No. 4 seed in the playoff picture.
That No. 4 spot is obviously very important considering that whoever gets it gets to have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, likely against a team that is fairly evenly-matched with them. With just 18 games remaining on the schedule for both the Pacers and the Bucks, this was a huge game for both teams.
Haliburton's shot decided that game, ended a three-game losing streak in Indiana and got the Pacers back in the win column. Who knows where they can take it from here, but this was a huge result that could be a launchpad for the team moving forward.