Pacers advance over Bucks to championship game of tournament،
LAS VEGAS – As Tyrese Haliburton saw his three-pointer go through the net, giving the Indiana Pacers what would become an insurmountable lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the final minute of the Eastern Conference semifinal of the tournament the NBA season. , he turned and looked at his wrist.
The implication was obvious: the final moments of the match, usually reserved for “Dame Time” when Damian Lillard is involved, became Haliburton's time to shine this Thursday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena.
There were still 48 seconds left on the clock to celebrate Haliburton, but it was a mere formality. By the time they ended, Indiana had earned a 128-119 victory over Milwaukee, propelling the Pacers into the tournament championship game against either the Los Angeles Lakers or the New Orleans Pelicans.
Just like Indiana did on Monday, when it upset the Boston Celtics, the Pacers closed this game out in the final minutes. A 9-2 run starting at the 2:40 mark of the fourth quarter, when Lillard hit two free throws to bring the Bucks within one, and Haliburton's 3 sealed the victory for the Pacers.
Indiana has made this tournament a priority since the start of the season, viewing it as an opportunity to put the small-market Pacers on the map — and, for Haliburton, who finished with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 15 assists decisive. , a chance to become a household name after making his first All-Star appearance last season and playing for Team USA this summer.
And, after upsetting the Philadelphia 76ers on their way to winning their pool group, then shocking the heavily favored Celtics at home to travel to Las Vegas, the Pacers found themselves in another battle against a big favorite on Thursday.
Because the league wanted both semifinals to be played on Thursday and needed sufficient time between games for players to warm up properly, the Indiana-Milwaukee game had an unusual start time by NBA standards : 2 p.m. local time.
Unsurprisingly, it took a while for both teams to rev their engines. But it was Indiana that got going first, outscoring Milwaukee 36-22 in the second quarter to take a 63-51 halftime lead behind 16 points from Myles Turner and 11 points and seven assists from Haliburton (who is still suffering from the effects of an upper respiratory infection that caused him to miss Saturday's win over Miami and have difficulty breathing during the first half of Monday's win over Boston, and who could be seen blow your nose during it).
But after a slow first half for Milwaukee — especially for Lillard, who missed his first seven shots and was 2 of 10 overall — things started to heat up in the third quarter.
The Bucks came back in the game, opening the quarter on a 27-9 run to retake the lead, and Lillard was at the center of it all, scoring 16 points while going 4-for-4 from behind the 3-point arc. and on the free throw line in the quarter. This performance put Milwaukee up to 43 points in the quarter and allowed the Bucks to take a 94-91 lead into the fourth quarter, where Haliburton took over.
Lillard had just eight points in the other three quarters of the game, while Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 37 points and 10 rebounds.
Due to the odd start time, it took a while for the arena to fill up. The seats were a little more than half full at the start of the game, although by halftime they were north of 80%.
Played on a red and blue pitch in the same style used throughout the league in snooker matches, and under theatrical lighting centered on the pitch, the match had the appearance of a spectacle, in keeping with the city where it took place. was played.
