The rivalry between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers continues to grow. It all began last season when action between the Central Division rivals became heated, with Giannis Antetokounmpo blowing a gasket when the Pacers refused to give him the game ball after a career-high 60-point night. And on Tuesday night, the rivalry between the two teams was renewed — with Tyrese Haliburton sinking the dagger in the Bucks' hearts with a game-winning four-point play that gave the Pacers a 115-114 win.
The Pacers faithful was understandably in a collective state of euphoria after a resounding home win that dealt the Bucks its third defeat in a row. And there was no one more excited amongst the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse than Haliburton's father, John, who used a signature Damian Lillard celebration to rub even more salt into the Bucks' wounds.
Over the past year or so, the Pacers have gotten the upper hand over the Bucks most of the time; however, this win courtesy of a Haliburton game-winner is their first against the Bucks this year — a stark contrast from their 4-1 regular season record against them last season. This restores some semblance of order for Indy, as they fight to the death against Milwaukee for homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
As things stand, the Pacers and Bucks are set to square off in the first round of the playoffs yet again. Last year, Indiana managed to overcome Milwaukee, thanks in large part to Giannis Antetokounmpo's calf injury. This year, the Bucks will be hoping for a fairer fight, but count on the Pacers to be prepared to withstand whatever they have to throw.
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Tyrese Haliburton puts nightmare '24-25 start for the Pacers in the past
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton makes four-point play
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
There was much concern surrounding Tyrese Haliburton after he didn't get off to the best of starts in the 2024-25 season. The Pacers' overall play as a team also dipped as a result of this.
Haliburton, however, has been playing excellent basketball over the past few weeks, injuries notwithstanding. He's been averaging 19.5 points and 9.3 assists per game since the calendar flipped to 2025 — numbers more reminiscent of his All-Star self. And the Pacers have been trending upward along with Haliburton, with Indiana winning 20 of their past 30 games to climb the Eastern Conference standings.
There is no better time for Haliburton to round into form than with less than a month to go before the playoffs begin, and the Pacers will want to build off of last year's trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.