Iron Will Of Tyrese Haliburton Earns Pacers Game 5 Win, Iron Will Of Team Earns Pacers Series

INDIANAPOLIS – It would be easy to look at the Indiana Pacers victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series as a flukey, one-off event. The Pacers trailed by seven points with 40 seconds to go in overtime before a string of possessions broke their way – the Bucks missed a free throw and had two turnovers in that final minute, which gave Indiana a chance to steal the victory.

They seized it. Andrew Nembhard hit a vital three-point shot with 35 seconds left before star guard Tyrese Haliburton took over, scoring an and-one layup at the cup before driving past Giannis Antetokounmpo for the game-winning basket with 1.3 seconds to go. In 34 seconds, the blue and gold scored eight points and took advantage of crucial Milwaukee errors. They took Game 5.

It was the Pacers fourth win in the best-of-seven set, meaning the magnificent close to the game gave them a spot in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoff field. Fans were leaving Gainbridge Fieldhouse when the Bucks took a 118-111 lead in the extra period. The result looked decided. But this Indiana group has shown an unmatched spirit in tight games, and they showed it on Tuesday night.

“That was one of the craziest games I’ve personally been a part of,” Pacers center Myles Turner said after the game. “We never stopped believing.”

What happened at the end of Pacers-Bucks Game 5?

Turner noted that despite being down by multiple scores late, the Pacers were fueled by some trash talk coming from Bucks players. But Indiana kept their focus, and Haliburton took them home.

For Haliburton, it was another signature moment against the Bucks. He finished a four-point play in the final seconds to take down Milwaukee during a regular season game in March, one of the best shots of his career. Last year, he hit a game-winning floater vs Milwaukee in Game 3 of a 2024 playoff series. Haliburton has tormented the NBA team from his home state many times in his career.

It didn’t look like he was going to on Tuesday. After hitting a three to take the lead early in the bonus frame, Haliburton missed a shot near the basket, then was off target on three-straight outside shots. He kept missing as the Buckets surged ahead.

The Iowa State product was off on another shot in transition, which was followed by another missed three. At the time, he was 1/7 from the field in the extra five-minute period. The Bucks led by seven. The game looked over.

But as described, the visitors gave Indiana more chances. And Haliburton seized them, scoring six points in the final 17 seconds to put the game away. The two-time All-Star went through the incredible highs and painful lows of playoff basketball in a matter of minutes.

“I missed a lot of easy ones there in the fourth,” Haliburton said, later sharing that he was discouraged after missing the outside shot he earned after an offensive rebound. “My teammates encouraged me to stay with it… it wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it.”

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was proud of the bold nature his group showed during the final three quarters of the game as well as in overtime. It came down to his team, and his star player, making plays in the end. “When it comes to belief in himself. Tyrese has an iron will,” the head coach said of Haliburton.

While this was just one instance of that iron will, albeit a major one, it added to a list of moments proving Carlisle’s point. Haliburton is among the best in the NBA when it comes to closing. He finished 14th in per-game clutch scoring and eighth in assists during the regular season. He had the seventh-best field goal percentage of all players with at least three clutch points per game – he paired high-level scoring and passing with efficiency.

In general, that is what Haliburton does for the Pacers. When it’s winning time, he’s at his best. Game 5 ended up being one of those outings, and it became another signature moment for the Gold medalist.

Carlisle believes Haliburton’s will comes from his work ethic and unafraid nature. The Pacers have trusted him in big moments since he came to the franchise in 2022, and Haliburton has delivered. When he did so in Game 5, he leapt onto the scorers table and celebrated with Indiana fans. In the past, he has skipped around or danced with his teammates – two celebrations that became well known both due to their frequency and their timing as they appeared in major moments.

“Even though he missed a lot of shots, he still stayed the course. He was able to pull off some amazing stuff there at the end of the game,” Turner said of Haliburton’s moment.

Haliburton’s iron will gets the Pacers where they want to go. They come out on top often, including in critical NBA Cup or postseason outings. Game 5 will be remembered for his heroics. But his play is just one part of what makes Indiana so impressive when the going gets tough. They are resilient and nearly impossible to vanquish.

Ask the Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, and Cleveland Cavaliers about toppling the Pacers in a tight game. The blue and gold won several close duels in the last two months thanks to their resolve. It all starts with Haliburton, but it’s a quality that the entire team possesses.

Indiana won three games in a four-day stretch from March 17 to March 20, and ESPN’s win probability model gave the Pacers a less than 10% chance to win at some point in the fourth quarter during each of those games. Yet the Pacers, a roster of escape artists, won them all. It was an unusual stretch, and the Pacers were happy to have earned three victories. Yet the team was equally thrilled with those results since they knew it would give them a boost come playoff time.

“I just feel like having those games, especially at the end of the season going into the playoffs, now we know what to do exactly,” Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin said in March. “I just feel like it’s a great thing to experience.”

He was proven right during the Pacers first tight finish of the postseason. The Pacers were given a 0.5% chance to win after their deficit grew to seven with 40 seconds to go. They were in danger of heading to Milwaukee for a Game 6. But the Pacers have wiggled out of these situations before, and they did it again this time on a bigger stage.

“I’ve never been a part of a game like that. Just finding ways to way,” Pacers reserve point guard T.J. McConnell said.

Haliburton’s late baskets will end up, rightly, being the core memory of crunch time. But a huge three pointer from Nembhard, equally significant shots and rebounds from Aaron Nesmith, and the small but not forgotten overtime efforts of Pascal Siakam, Turner, and Jarace Walker all show that the Pacers have a strong team for crunch time. It isn’t just one individual. It’s a unit.

Before overtime even began, the Pacers showed resolve by erasing a four-point deficit in the final minute of regulation. That was the easy part. Indiana refused to let Game 5 get away from them, and the Haliburton-led group – hardy as ever – was able to pull out a victory. Their mental improvement throughout the series was visible.

It gave the Pacers a series win. They’ll play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, a formidable foe. But Indiana has to feel confident against anyone thanks to their offensive firepower, and if their clutch play continues to hold then the playoffs could be their time. The roster, full of players with iron will, is certainly capable of it.