Indiana Pacers 115 – Milwaukee Bucks 114 (Mar. 11th, 2025)

Source: Michael Hickey / Getty

(INDIANAPOLIS, IN) – Tyrese Haliburton snaps Indiana Pacers (36-28) three-game losing streak with four-point play in final seconds to defeat the

1. First Quarter

After missing the last three games with a hip injury, Tyrese Haliburton returned to the starting lineup for the Indiana Pacers with Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. There was a palpable buzz in Gainbridge Fieldhouse with this game essentially being a playoff game for both teams. Neither team led by more than two points through the first six minutes of action. Taurean Prince gave Milwaukee its first two-possession advantage with a triple to make it 18-14. The Pacers would come back and take a 23-21 lead when Siakam got to the rim for a layup to break the 21-21 tie. With under a minute to go, the two teams were tied up at 27, and then the Pacers closed the quarter by outscoring the Bucks by four points to lead 32-28. Siakam and Prince led each of their teams with 9 points in the opening quarter. Indiana contained Giannis Antetokounmpo to 6 points and 7 rebounds and Damiam Lillard to 2 points and 4 assists. As for Haliburton, he recorded 2 points, 4 assists, and a steal in his first quarter back.

2. Second Quarter

In the first quarter, the game was tied seven times, and the lead changed a total of nine times. In the second quarter, the game was never tied, and the lead only changed twice. The scoring in the quarter started with Siakam converting a driving floater. A couple minutes later, the Bucks made it 39-36 with a Jericho Sims dunk off a pass from Kyle Kuzma. Indiana countered with eight straight points to take the first double-digit lead of the game following back-to-back threes from Bennedict Mathurin. Indiana then went ice cold after extending the lead to 47-36. Milwaukee scored six of its next eight points from the line and then two baskets at the rim to take a 47-46 lead with 5:00 left in the first half. The Pacers took the lead back with a Turner layup and were able to hold onto the lead going into halftime. At intermission, Indiana’s advantage was 57-55. Mathurin led all scorers in the quarter with 8 points followed by Siakam with 7 points. Milwaukee’s leading scorer in the quarter was Antetokounmpo. Siakam paced all players in points and rebounds with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Prince was, surprisingly, Milwaukee’s leading scorer at the half with 14 points.

3. Third Quarter

Even though the Pacers were in control of the lead for most of the second quarter, there was only a moment where they were in full control. Milwaukee took a three-point lead to begin the second half following five quick points from Lillard. The Pacers would counter with six consecutive points to claim a 65-62 lead with 8:51 remaining in the period. Neither team would lead by more than one possession for the next eight minutes. A Kevin Porter Jr. three-ball pushed the Bucks ahead 88-84 with thirty-nine seconds left in the quarter. However, the Pacers closed the quarter with two free throws from Mathurin and a field goal from T.J. McConnell. After thirty-six minutes of play, the two teams were tied at 88. Lillard was the leading scorer in the quarter with 11 points. Indiana’s leading scorer in the third was Thomas Bryant off the bench with 5 points. Indiana struggles from three-point range in the quarter, shooting 2/9. In total, the lead changed seven times and was tied ten times in the quarter. Leading all players in scoring going to the final quarter was Giannis with 19 points. Indiana’s leading scorer was Siakam with 18 points.

4. Fourth Quarter

With Indiana closing the previous quarter with authority, the Pacers had all the momentum to start the final quarter. Siakam really came out on fire, scoring the first seven points for the Pacers to put them ahead 97-93. Indiana would eventually take a 103-93 lead after a Mathurin dunk to cap a 10-0 run. Much like the second quarter, Indiana would go cold after going up by double digits. The Bucks would tie the game at 103 with 5:10 left in the contest when Gary Trent Jr. buried a three. Indiana would regain momentum with 3:31 left in the game when Haliburton forced a turnover and then broke free for a dunk to put his team on top by five points. However, Milwaukee would make another run. The Bucks took a 112-110 lead when Trent Jr. converted another three-pointer with 1:07 left in the game. Rick Carlisle called a timeout to draw up a play, but Nembhard missed two wide open three-pointers that would have put the Pacers in front. He had a chance to tie the game with two free throws after the Pacers got a stop defensively but only made one. Milwaukee got the ball to Lillard, and he splashed both free throws to make it 114-111 with 3.9 seconds left. Indiana called a timeout to advance the basketball and draw up a play. The result was a Haliburton three right in front of the Milwaukee bench that found nothing but the bottom of the net, PLUS a foul on the play by Antetokounmpo. He would make the free throw to give Indiana the one-point advantage. Milwaukee had 3.4 seconds to get the ball up the court to win the game, and Antetokounmpo’s only shot of the quarter drew air. Indiana pulls off a miracle in the final seconds to win 115-114.

5. Top Performers

Pascal Siakam (25p, 12r, 5a, 1s), Bennedict Mathurin (17p, 4r), Tyrese Haliburton (14p, 10a, 2s), Myles Turner (13p, 6r, 2b), Andrew Nembhard (12p, 3a), T.J. McConnell (12p, 7a, 4s), and Thomas Bryant (10p, 3r). For Milwaukee, Brook Lopez (23p, 7r), Giannis Antetokounmpo (19p, 17r, 7r), Taurean Prince (18p, 6r, 3a), and Damian Lillard (15p, 11a). For tonight’s full box score, click here.

6. Notes

• Indiana is now 36-28 and 20-9 at home
  • Indiana is 20-10 in 2025
  • Indiana is 6-5 after the All-Star break
• Indiana snaps 3-game losing streak with the win
• Indiana needs to win on Saturday in Milwaukee to tie the season series
• Indiana, Milwaukee, and Detroit are all tied for 4th in the Eastern Conference
  • Milwaukee and Indiana have tiebreaker over Detroit because of winning percentage
  • Milwaukee has tiebreaker over Indiana with head-to-head
• Brook Lopez scored 20+ points for the 11th time on the season
• Damian Lillard recorded his 12th double-double on the season
• Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 44th double-double on the season
• Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 0 points in the fourth quarter
  • First time this season being held scoreless in the fourth when 4+ minutes
  • Only 3rd time this season not scoring in a quarter
  • Would have been first quarter this season not attempting a shot had he not taken the three at the end of the game
• Giannis Antetokounmpo snaps 16-game streak of scoring at least 20 points against Indiana
  • 12/22/19 was the last time Giannis did not score 20+ points against Indiana
• Pascal Siakam recorded his 10th double-double on the season
• Pascal Siakam recorded a double-double in the first half for the 2nd time of his career
• Pascal Siakam scored 20+ points for the 36th time on the season
• Taurean Prince’s 18 points are the most in game since scoring 19 points vs GSW on 2/10/25
• J. McConnell’s 4 steals are the 2nd most in a game this season
• Tyrese Haliburton recorded his 22nd double-double on the season
• Tyrese Haliburton has recorded a double-double in 7 straight games – 2nd longest streak of career

7. Next Up

Indiana will have a pair of days off before going on a three-game road trip. The Pacers will visit the Philadelphia 76ers (Friday), Milwaukee Bucks (Saturday), and Minnesota Timberwolves (Monday). Friday’s broadcast coverage will start at 6:30pm with the pregame show followed by the play-by-play against the 76res at 7pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan with Mark Boyle, Eddie Gill, and Pat Boylan.