By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
What in the world just happened?
Down by seven points in the remaining 36 seconds of the overtime period, the Indiana Pacers did the unthinkable and closed out the game with a stunning 8-0 run to frustrate the Milwaukee Bucks, 119-118, and wrapped up their NBA Eastern Conference best-of-seven first-round playoff series with a 4-1 dub to advance to the semifinals.
On April 30, 2025, Indiana staged one of the biggest come-from-behind efforts in NBA Playoff history as they weathered the storm and survived the Milwaukee barrage in the extension phase of the fiery Game 5 chess match.
Out of desperation, the Pacers tried to hoist quick shots to overcome their seven-point deficit with 36 ticks left, and they responded well after Andrew Nembhard gave them a new lease on life with a long triple at the top of the key.
In the next possession, Indiana completed a defensive stop after a perfect trap on Gary Trent Jr. in the right elbow. His emergency pass got stolen by Nembhard, which allowed the home team to run another set and get close to within a single possession situation.
Disaster struck the visiting Milwaukee team after superstar floor general Tyrese Haliburton converted a foul-counted layup that cut the Bucks’ lead to just a point, 118-117.
Milwaukee’s worst nightmare then came in their next offensive possession, when Trent Jr. fumbled the incoming pitch pass for another turnover.
In the final 10 seconds of the ball game, the Pacers smelled blood and banked on the clutch Haliburton as he delivered the go-ahead drive against the tough defense of Giannis Antetokounmpo that helped Indiana retake the cushion, 119-118.
All of a sudden, Milwaukee squandered their sizable lead in the last 30 seconds. Without any timeout left, they had to settle for a long hail mary heave for their last shot, which Trent Jr. missed badly.
It was a disappointing performance for the former NBA champions after blowing their 20-point lead in the second half.
The Bucks had their best start of the series as the trio of AJ Green, Bobby Portis, and Antetokounmpo joined hands to establish the comfortable advantage.
Just when Milwaukee thought they could sustain their inside-outside firepower, the Pacers struck back in the second half and relied on their defensive adjustments.
Indiana went zone a couple of times that disrupted the Bucks’ rhythm and followed it up with a soft box-and-one that kept their defensive schemes unpredictable.
Everything went down to the wire, with Milwaukee having the golden opportunity to steal Game 5 holding a two-point lead, 103-101, in the remaining 14 seconds of the regulation period.
However, Haliburton won’t let the Pacers fold to the pressure as he forced overtime with a quick and aggressive dunk to the rim, 103-all.
The Bucks were left with a single chance to win the game and negate OT, but Antetokounmpo’s fade-away attempt from the left baseline bounced too strong off the rim.
The rest was then history after the Pacers managed to dig out of the mud and pull off a miraculous 8-0 run in the final 36 seconds of the game.
Haliburton stepped up when Indiana needed his offense the most as he top-scored the Pacers with 26 points alongside nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, and three blocks.
Aside from his heroics, the Pacers also received a balanced effort from Myles Turner, Aaron Nesmith, and TJ McConnell, who delivered 21, 19, and 18 markers, respectively.
On the other hand, Antetokounmpo gave his all and tallied a dominant triple-double stat-line of 30 points, 20 rebounds, 13 assists, two steals, and two blocks, but his effort got denied by the resilient Indiana squad that will march to the semis and face the no. 1 team in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
