The Indiana Pacers are advancing to the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs after pulling off a shocking comeback to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Facing a 20-point deficit early and trailing by seven points with under 40 seconds remaining in overtime, the Pacers rallied to win Game 5 of their first-round series, 119-118. This dramatic victory marks the largest postseason comeback in Pacers franchise history.
Next up for Indiana is a showdown with the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the schedule for the second-round series has yet to be released, the Pacers will ride into it with serious momentum after their thrilling win over Milwaukee.
The Bucks, already playing without Damian Lillard due to a torn Achilles suffered in Game 4, started the game with a new-look lineup. Coach Doc Rivers brought in Kevin Porter Jr., AJ Green, and Bobby Portis to start alongside Gary Trent Jr. and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The changes paid early dividends, as Milwaukee surged out to a 17-point first-quarter lead and extended it to 20 early in the second.
Despite the sluggish start, the Pacers began to show signs of life before halftime. Their poor 4-of-17 shooting performance in the first quarter was unsustainable, especially against a depleted Bucks defense. Indiana narrowed the gap to six points by the break and seized the lead midway through the third quarter, swinging the game’s momentum.
As the second half progressed, both teams exchanged blows in a tightly contested battle. At various points, Indiana seemed poised to pull away, but Milwaukee continued to fight and consistently found ways to respond, refusing to go quietly despite their injury woes.
In the final minute of regulation, Milwaukee held a four-point lead after a late bucket by Antetokounmpo. But Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton answered quickly, scoring on back-to-back possessions, including an uncontested dunk to tie the game with just under 11 seconds left. Giannis missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
Overtime brought even more drama. Indiana struck first, but Gary Trent Jr. went on a tear, hitting four 3-pointers in a two-minute span to give the Bucks a 118-111 advantage with only 40 seconds remaining. It appeared Milwaukee was on the verge of forcing a Game 6, but the Pacers weren’t finished.
Andrew Nembhard hit a fast 3-pointer to trim the lead to four, then intercepted a careless Trent pass and set up Haliburton for an and-one layup, cutting the deficit to just one point. With the shot clock off, Indiana opted not to foul immediately and nearly forced a turnover before a shocking blunder gave them a golden opportunity.
As the Bucks tried to run out the clock, Green passed to Trent on the sideline, but the ball slipped through his hands and legs and went out of bounds. Indiana regained possession with just over 10 seconds left. Haliburton took the ball, beat Antetokounmpo in isolation, and scored the game-winning layup with 1.3 seconds to play.
Haliburton’s bucket was historic—it became the latest series-clinching overtime shot in the NBA’s play-by-play era and one of only nine playoff series to end on a go-ahead field goal in the final two seconds. He finished the night with 26 points, nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks, capping a sensational all-around performance.
Tempers flared after the game, highlighting the animosity between the two teams. As Haliburton said after Game 1, “We don’t like them, they don’t like us.” That hostility culminated in a post-game confrontation involving players from both sides—and even Haliburton’s father.
Giannis, who had a massive triple-double with 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 13 assists, took offense after Haliburton’s father came onto the court and exchanged words with him. The two faced off briefly, adding to the night’s emotional charge.
Haliburton addressed the situation afterward, acknowledging that his father may have overstepped. “I don’t think my pops was in the right,” he admitted. The league has not yet announced whether any discipline will follow the incident.
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