NBA Playoffs: The epic 40 seconds that eliminated Indiana from Milwaukee

It was an epic 40 seconds for Indiana and a terrifying one for Milwaukee. In that short span of time, the Pacers managed to overturn a seven-point deficit at the end of overtime and not only won the game with an extraordinary 119-118 victory , but also earned their spot in the semifinals of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs .

"Both teams gave it their all, including timeouts; nobody had anything left," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after the win. He added, "But, as you know, fortune favors the bold , and our guys were bold in the final three quarters. We're very thankful to be able to move on."

The Bucks appeared to be on the verge of forcing a Game 6 after taking a commanding 33-13 lead early in the second quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

But the Pacers responded masterfully and got back into the game, outscoring Milwaukee 28-17 in the second quarter and cutting the Bucks' lead to just six points at halftime.

The lead changed hands 13 times in the second half and Tyrese Haliburton tied it 103-103 for the Pacers to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, Indiana trailed by 7 points with just 40 seconds left . From there, a memorable comeback began, culminating in Haliburton's clutch layup with 1.3 seconds left to give his team a 4-1 lead.

The @Pacers were down 7 with 36 seconds left and this happened 😱🤯 #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/fX6G0JNgmo

— NBA Latam (@NBALatam) April 30, 2025

"We made the plays when we needed to," Haliburton said. "It wasn't what we wanted, but we took it, we're going to celebrate today, and then we get ready for Cleveland."

Haliburton , the Pacers' guide during the game, had to come out to deal with another unfortunate episode at the end of the game because his father strongly clashed with Giannis Antetokounmpo .

"My father and I have talked about it, and I don't agree with what he did. I think basketball is basketball and we need to leave it on the court. I think he just got emotional: he saw his son make a game-winning basket and came onto the court to celebrate. We had a conversation. He needs to let me just play basketball and stay there; I'll go celebrate with him later," the Indiana star explained.

He also clarified: "I'll talk to Giannis at some point. I don't think my dad was right at all. It was unfortunate what happened in the end."

For his part, Antetokounmpo also addressed the incident in a lengthy response at his press conference. "I believe in being humble in victory, that's who I am (...). There are a lot of people who think you have the green light (when you win) to disrespect someone. I disagree. I've won a championship, they haven't. And that doesn't mean anything; I'm not trying to minimize their effort," he argued.

"When you lose a game, emotions are running high. To have a fan, because at the time I thought he was a fan and then I found out it was Tyrese's dad... And I love Tyrese. I think he's a great competitor. But to have his dad come onto the court and show me a towel with his son's face on it saying 'this is what we do, this is what we fucking do,' I just think it's very, very disrespectful (...). I just think it's totally unacceptable," he lamented.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyrese Haliburtons father 👀 👀 pic.twitter.com/9Xq4WRb9ip

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 30, 2025

In other results, the Boston Celtics thrashed the Orlando Magic 120-89 at home and advanced with a 4-1 aggregate to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they await the winner of the series between the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons, who win the first 3-2.

Meanwhile, at the iconic Madison Square Garden, the Detroit Pistons defeated the New York Knicks 106 to 103, achieving their second victory in the series and extending it to a sixth game, which will be played on Thursday at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit (Michigan).

Meanwhile, at Ball Arena in Denver, the Denver Nuggets took home-court advantage in Game 5 of their series against the Los Angeles Clippers , winning 131-115 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference series.