INDIANAPOLIS – In the first playoff game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since April 21, 2019, the Indiana Pacers beat the Bucks 121-118 in overtime Friday evening to go up 2-1 in the Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winner for the Pacers, a floater with 1.6 seconds left that drew a foul from Pat Beverley. Haliburton made the free throw, and Khris Middleton’s 24-footer at the buzzer hit the iron to give Indiana the win.

“The only broken part of it, we didn’t want him to go back to his right,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said of Haliburton’s winner. “For the most part we needed someone there. He still made a runner. Tough shot. Then what you don’t want to do is foul, because no you can still tie the game. Having to tie it with a three made it a lot tougher. So, he made a tough shot.”

The Pacers were part of the “bubble” playoffs in 2020, so it had been a long time for Pacers fans to see a home playoff game. It was a raucous atmosphere despite an early start on a weekday, with WNBA No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark getting things going by revving a faux Indy Car engine before tip-off.

The Bucks never really looked comfortable to begin with in starting the game 2 for 10 from the floor, and the Pacers got out running and led by as many as 19 in the first half while shooting over 50% for much of the opening 24 minutes.

Indiana went up by double digits in the first eight minutes of play and though the Milwaukee cut its deficits to under double digits at a couple of points in the second and third quarters, they didn’t fully tilt the game back to its favor until late in the third and early fourth when it went on a 16-4 to take its first lead of the game with over nine minutes to play in the game.

“I loved our effort," Rivers said. "I loved our ability to stick in the game and play through their emotions early. They had us reeling in the first quarter. They sped us up again. Then all of a sudden we started getting our rhythm, and once we got our rhythm the game changed completely. So, moving forward, I think that will give us a lot of confidence.”

At that point the game truly slowed down for a physical back-and-forth affair with six lead changes in the final 8:40, with Middleton, Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis leading the Bucks offense and Pat Beverley and Brook Lopez cementing the defensive effort.

Middleton’s clutch shooting helped the Bucks force overtime at 111-111 and he scored all seven of the team’s points in the extra session.

Middleton scored 42 points and 10 rebounds while Lillard had 28 points and Portis had 17. Lopez had 14 and Beverley added 11.

BOX SCORE: Pacers 121, Bucks 118 (OT)

Haliburton had a triple-double with 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. Myles Turner led the team with 29 points while Pascal Siakam had 17, Andrew Nembhard 16 and Obi Toppin 15.

Game 4 will be Sunday evening at 6 p.m. CDT.

"We’re an experienced team, so every game the series is gonna change," Lillard said. "We won Game 1, they answered Game 2, their first game on their home court I feel like it was a game we should’ve pulled out, we had a couple of opportunities where we took a three-point lead, then we had a breakdown or miscommunication defensively and we let them make up for it, or we’ll get a stop and they’ll get a rebound, was giving them multiple opportunities when we could’ve created a little more separation and put more pressure on them with so little time left in the game.

"We played a really good game aside from the offensive rebounds and us not executing early in the game. We just gotta know, the series is gonna change every game. It’s gonna be something we find that we can be successful with and they gonna do the same thing, and it’s just about staying in it mentally, continuing to compete. Knowing what we’re playing for and we just gotta try and get the next one. Once you do that then it becomes a new series again, and then after that it continues to change every game. We just gotta turn the page and focus on getting one before we get out of here."

Second chances key Pacers victory

Just like in Game 2, Indiana got out and pushed the tempo – but more importantly it neutralized solid Bucks defensive stops by crashing the offensive glass. In the first half, Indiana pulled down nine offensive rebounds and scored 20 second-chance points off those buckets.

And they were always opportune and momentum-shifting in front of the home crowd – like a Tyrese Haliburton dunk after the Bucks hit a three-pointer, or a Myles Turner three-pointer after an Andre Jackson Jr. block, or Aaron Nesmith getting fouled on a three-point attempt after the Bucks got the deficit to within single digits.

The Pacers also scored seven additional points off four Bucks turnovers in the first half, with those 27 points being a huge difference in a 67-55 lead.

"They were coming from all over the place," Middleton said of the Pacers' effort on the offensive glass. "Point guards were crashing, wings were crashing, bigs were crashing. Just gotta do a better job of contesting the shot, finding bodies to box out in our zone. A couple of times they were able to sneak in, but then on the other end we was doing the same thing, so we take care of the glass we had a better chance of winning this game."

Milwaukee tightened up its defensive rebounding in the second half, as it allowed Indiana to pull down 10 more offensive rebounds for 12 second-chance points. The Pacers still scored seven more points off Bucks turnovers, but the veteran Bucks turned up the focus to get back into the game.

Indiana took 105 shots off the strength of those extra chances to Milwaukee's 88.

“Just loose balls, man,” Bobby Portis said. “Come down to that in the playoffs, just 50-50s that wins games and loses games. They had 19 o-boards today and I mean, that’s basically the game.”

Unfortunately for the Bucks, Siakam came down with the two biggest offensive boards of the game with 1:08 to go, setting up a new possession with the game tied 106-106. Beverley then fouled Andrew Nembhard, who made a free throw to put Indiana up 107-106.

Siakam followed that by pulling down another offensive board, this time off a Haliburton missed three-pointer, and finished it on his own for a clinching three-point play at 109-106 with 19.8 seconds left.

Then in overtime, with the game tied at 113, the Pacers pulled down five straight offensive rebounds until Lillard finally ended that streak. Nembhard had three of those boards, and his fight for another one later helped force Middleton’s fifth foul and extended the possession – which led to a Nembhard bucket to tie the game 115-115.

Those were precious seconds and possessions – and expended energy – the Bucks just couldn’t get back.

“Every time the ball hit the floor, they came up with every loose ball tonight,” Rivers said. “They crushed us. This game came down to 50-50 and they just did a better job. Our guys were fighting. We were trying. Couldn’t get to loose balls. And, you know, when you shoot better than the other team but they take 17 more shots than you, you’re not going to win that game. It’s hard to win that game. Yet we still could’ve.”

Khris Middleton sets career playoff high after ankle injury

The three-time all-star was questionable to play for the Bucks after spraining his right ankle in the first quarter of Game 2 and was effectively a game-time decision as the team had to see how he felt going through pregame warmups.

"Yeah just went through my pregame routine to see how I felt, see if I was gonna be able to push off, change directions," Middleton said of how he determined he could play. "Felt good enough to go, so I feel like once I’m out there there’s no excuses. I just gotta play, forget about what I’m going through and just play."

He was a steady force for the Bucks throughout and kept the team somewhat connected in the first half by scoring 19 points on 7 of 14 shooting.

Middleton got particularly hot in the second quarter, scoring 11 points and handing out an assist to help the Bucks trim a 19-point deficit down to 57-50. He then drilled a buzzer-beating 17-footer at the end of the third quarter to pull the Bucks within seven again at 90-83.

Indiana just didn’t have much of an answer for him, as a layup got the Bucks to 92-87 – which led into a Lillard three-pointer and the Bucks first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.

He then hit a tough, fading, contested three-pointer with 2.3 seconds left to send the game to overtime at 111-111.

He scored the first four Bucks points in overtime to give them brief leads, but his go-ahead attempt from 15 feet with 42 seconds left – in his 41st minute of play – was short, and Indiana went up 118-115 on the next trip down. But, Middleton rallied by banging home a three-pointer to tie the game again with 6 seconds left.

He set a career playoff high with 42 points scored.

“Just who he is, man,” Portis said of Middleton. “Just a testament to being resilient, staying down and just being a team player, man. Obviously, we’re already down Giannis so I just think he understood the moment, the situation, and rose to the occasion.”

Bobby Portis second half surge keys Bucks rally

One of the contributing factors early for Indiana building a lead was a rough start for Portis. He began the game 1 for 6 from the field – including two left-handed floaters – and all of the misses came from seven feet or closer. One of those misses was also officially called a block by Turner, but was actually a turnover when Portis bobbled a ball out of bounds.

He had a two-point first half and was on the receiving end of trash talk by Haliburton and derisive “Bobby! Bobby! Bobby!” chants by the Pacers crowd.

But in the second half Portis, settled down.

He went 3-for-5 for eight points and pulled down four rebounds in the third quarter to help the Bucks outscore the Pacers 28-23 and get back in the game. He then had a huge putback off a missed Lillard three-point to give the Bucks their biggest lead of the game at 95-92 and effectively reset the contest for the final half of the fourth quarter.

Portis then pulled down seven rebounds and scored seven points in the fourth to help the Bucks get to overtime.

“It’s a rhythm game, man,” Portis said. “Basketball is always been about pace and rhythm and knowing your spots and knowing the team’s pace. I say all the time, there’s two different things: There’s a team pace and there’s a pace when you get the ball so you have to understand both of those. I think in the first half, particularly with myself, they kind of sped me up a little bit. In the second half, took a deep breath, got the ball and got back to my pace.”

He finished with 17 points and 18 rebounds, giving him three straight double-doubles to open the series against Indiana. He last recorded that many in a row from April 22-May 1 in the 2022 playoffs vs. Chicago and Boston. Portis now has 10 career double-doubles in the playoffs, all with Milwaukee.

Damian Lillard finishes game after injury scare

Lillard hobbled to the Bucks locker room near the end of the first quarter after falling to the court and grabbing his left knee in obvious pain after making a layup. The Bucks were down 11 at that point and trailed by 17 when the quarter ended. Lillard returned at the start of the second quarter and played 45 minutes.

He gave the Bucks their first lead of the game with 9:43 to go in regulation with a step-back three-pointer.

Lillard scored 28 points on 6-of-20 shooting, including 4 for 12 from behind the three-point line. He was also 12-for-12 from the free throw line.

"We're just taking a lot of hits right now injury-wise and our guys are hanging in there," Rivers said. "So proud of this team. Dame goes out, we think he's out, he comes back and says I'll go. He made a couple shots after that. Khris we didn't think was playing. Our guys are hanging in there. I couldn't be more proud of our team."

Five numbers

0-1 Bucks road record this playoff, following an 18-22 mark away from Fiserv Forum this season. It was the second-worst road mark of any playoff team (Orlando, 18-23). Milwaukee had not won on the road in the postseason since Game 5 of the second-round series against Boston on May 11, 2022.

Rivers: “Listen, you gotta win on the road. Winning on the road is not easy anyway and it’s hard in the playoffs to win on the road. That’s why it’s the playoffs. They separate all the good teams from the bad teams and you go play the good teams on the road, so it makes it a little harder. Having said that, you have better focus. You have better rest. You have better preparation.”

28-6 Bench scoring in favor of Indiana.

11-4 Bucks record in Game 3s since beginning their current playoff streak in 2017. They are now 6-2 in first round Game 3s in that time.

79.1 Percentage of times a team with a 2-1 lead wins the series.

Rivers: "The bounce back won't be hard. I think this team leaves this arena with more confidence. At least we should."

Middleton: "First, take care of our bodies, tonight, tomorrow. Also be ready, it’s one game, it’s a game by game series, you don’t lose the series in one game, we have a lot more chances. I think we play Sunday again, get ready, go over our film, figure out what our adjustments are gonna be in our gameplan, come out and be ready to play."

04/27/2018 Last time the Indiana Pacers won a home playoff game, which was Game 6 of a first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Is Giannis playing tonight?

No. The two-time MVP strained his left soleus (calf) muscle on April 9, and though he has continued to get on the court he has not done any live (full speed) actions. He has been listed as doubtful for the first three games of the series, but has been ruled out early in the afternoon before Games 2 and 3.

More: Bucks 'holding our breath' on Khris Middleton's availability for Game 3; Giannis injury update

Bucks record without Giannis

• 1-2 in the 2024 playoffs after Sunday’s win. Over his career, the Bucks are 4-4 in playoff games he misses.

• 4-6 in the 2023-24 regular season.

Is Khris Middleton playing?

The three-time all-star is available for the Bucks after going through his usual pregame routing. He began the day as questionable to play with a right ankle sprain suffered in the first quarter of Game 2. After stepping on Pascal Siakam’s foot in the first quarter, Middleton briefly exited the game to get his ankle retaped and returned to play 36 minutes.

He did not participate in the Bucks’ practice on Thursday.

More: Khris Middleton took Aaron Nesmith under his wing. Now they are battling in NBA playoffs

Bucks vs Pacers injury report

Bucks

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, out (left soleus strain)

• Chris Livingston, out (non-COVID illness)

• Khris Middleton, questionable (right ankle sprain)

Pacers

• Bennedict Mathurin, out (right shoulder labral tear)

Bucks starting lineup

• Guards: Damian Lillard, Pat Beverley

• Forwards: Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis

• Center: Brook Lopez

Bucks vs Pacers preview

Bucks: Damian Lillard scored 26 points in the first half of Game 2, but the Bucks never settled their defense and eventually lost control of the game. With Khris Middleton (15 points) hobbled, the Bucks will look to Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez to be bigger factors.

Pacers: Indiana baited Milwaukee to playing their high-speed game, and Pascal Siakam continued to flummox the Bucks defense with 37 points and six assists. Tyrese Haliburton didn’t shoot well (4-for-10) but handed out 12 assists.

Bucks vs Pacers odds, betting line, spread

Odds according to BetMGM.

• Spread: Bucks +6

• Over/under: 223

• Moneyline: Pacers -245; Bucks +195

Bucks vs Pacers prediction, game picks

ESPN gives the Pacers a 58% chance to beat the Bucks in Game 3.

Bucks vs Pacers stats

Bucks (regular season)

• PPG: 119.0

• PPG allowed: 116.4

• FG%: 48.7

• 3PT%: 37.3

Pacers (regular season)

• PPG: 123.3

• PPG allowed: 120.2

• FG%: 50.7

• 3PT%: 37.4

Bucks vs Pacers NBA playoffs schedule

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What channel is Bucks vs Pacers on today? How to watch, stream live

• TV channel: Bally Sports Wisconsin; ESPN

• Stream: You can stream the game on the Bally Sports Wisconsin and ESPN apps.

• Announcers: Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks for Bally Sports Wisconsin and Mark Jones, Hubie Brown, Monica McNutt for ESPN.

Bucks vs Pacers start time, TV info, location

• Start time: 4:30 p.m. CDT.

• TV info: Bally Sports Wisconsin and ESPN.

• Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Haliburton hits game-winner as Pacers top Bucks 121-118 in overtime