If the NBA season ended at present, the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers would face-off within the first spherical of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. If Tuesday evening’s appetizer was any indication, basketball followers can be in for an incredible sequence if it occurs.
The Pacers shocked the Bucks, 114-113, within the Central Division showdown. There’s a lot latest historical past between these two groups, and this recreation added one other memorable chapter.
The groups traded the lead forwards and backwards within the fourth quarter. Milwaukee took the lead with simply over a minute left on an wonderful move from Giannis Antetokounmpo to teammate Gary Trent Jr. for a nook three. The Bucks held the lead into the ultimate seconds till the Pacers referred to as timeout and drew up a play on their closing possession.
The timeout superior the ball to middle courtroom, however Pacers nonetheless lined up close to the other three-point line. Indiana regarded appreciated they have been in a shotgun formation with 4 vast receivers, and so they ran a superb play to spring Tyrese Haliburton free. All Haliburton did was catch the ball within the nook and drain a three-pointer whereas getting fouled. He made the free throw for the game-winning four-point play.
You received’t see many higher game-winners within the NBA this season. Watch the play right here:
I’ve performed sufficient Madden in my day to know that’s 4 Verts. My soccer writing colleague JP Acosta mentioned it’s really Shallow Sting. Both manner, that’s an unimaginable play by Indiana to win a recreation over a rival in an unimaginable scenario.
Previous buddy of this system Caitlin Cooper covers the Pacers higher than anybody at Basketball, She Wrote. In fact, Cooper is throughout this play. Cooper interviewed Pacers assistant coach Jenny Boucek over the summer time, and he or she broke down the precise play Indiana used to win the sport. Watch Cooper’s interview clip right here:
March is likely to be the doldrums of professional basketball, however moments like this remind us that the NBA Playoffs are going to be unimaginable. We want a Pacers-Bucks sequence.
