Friday's NBA Playoffs Results, Takeaways: Tyrese Haliburton beats Pacers in OT

Tyrese Haliburton hit a three-pointer with 1.6 seconds left in overtime to give the Pacers a 2-1 series lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the first of three NBA playoff games on Friday night:

the overtime game winner from Tyrese Haliburton 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5VF0IroY54

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 27, 2024

Aaron Nesmith hit a corner 3 with 14.4 seconds left in overtime to give the Pacers a three-point lead. Khris Middleton equalized with a three-pointer of her own before Haliburton's winner:

Pacers 121, Bucks 118 (OT)

Series: Indiana leads 2-1

Game 4: Sunday, 7 p.m. ET, Indiana

Can the Pacers keep the ball moving?

It's the core of the Pacers philosophy and the epicenter of basketball, but the ball has to move.

Because of Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle's experience and their never-ending chess game, playoff basketball can get extremely ugly at times, as decent portions of this series have shown. The Pacers, who typically operate in a highly dynamic environment, were forced to play at a slower pace, thanks in part to Rivers' defensive strategies. But when Indiana had the upper hand and found effective areas, the ball moved along the floor and created opportunities for great shots.

During the regular season, the Pacers were the league's best in ball movement, averaging 308.3 passes per game, and also led the NBA in assists per game (30.8). They were also among the top five teams in secondary and prospect assists, further highlighting their commitment to an unselfish brand of basketball.

In Game 2, Indiana recorded a whopping 38 assists on 50 field goals made. The Bucks appeared to increase their defensive aggression even further on Friday, forcing the Pacers to generate consistent offense outside of Pascal Siakam with a combination of doubles, pressure and zone. At halftime, Indiana had 22 assists, with Haliburton contributing 10 of them.

The second half (and especially overtime) became a total slugfest, but the Pacers didn't give in to the Bucks' persistence. Indiana had some bad basketball and settled for low-efficiency shots, but the ball never stopped moving. The Pacers finished the game with 32 assists, half of which came from Tyrese Haliburton. Ultimately, Indiana was the last team standing in a thrilling end-to-end matchup. –Kelly Iko

Does Bucks have anything left in the tank?

After being listed as questionable early in the game, Middleton scored 42 points on 29 shots. He played 41 minutes in a tough outing despite the injury, but in the end it wasn't quite enough, and now one can wonder what the Bucks have left heading into Game 4.

Without Giannis Antetokounmpo, this veteran team only has so much to give, and losing a 53-minute heartbreaker could put them in a tough spot going forward.

The Pacers took a 17-point lead after one quarter and the Bucks fought their way back into the game. But as the game progressed, they simply didn't have enough size or strength to eliminate defensive possessions. Periodically in the fourth quarter and overtime, the Pacers outscored the Bucks with rebounds and kept the possession alive, which only further fatigued the Bucks. The Pacers scored 32 points with 19 offensive rebounds, and that ended up being a big difference.

Without Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are at a deficit in many categories, and those deficits all worked against them on Friday. Getting a win in Game 4 will be a monumental task, but it might be the only way for the Bucks to survive this series against the young, up-and-coming Pacers. – Eric Nehm

This story will be updated.

(Photo by Tyrese Haliburton: Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)