Pacers’ Haliburton does it again
LAS VEGAS — Tyrese Haliburton victimized the Celtics on Monday with his shot-put, 3-point shot from well beyond the arc. He dribbled back and forth until he created a sliver of space, and then crushed Boston with the go-ahead long ball.
Three days later at T-Mobile Arena, Haliburton decided to use various ways to burn the Milwaukee Bucks in the In-Season Tournament semifinal when Milwaukee desperately needed defensive stops.
The darling of this tournament, with the unorthodox jumper and bright smile, darted left and then right past 7-footer Brook Lopez and drove right to the hoop for a critical layup. With the Bucks sagging against the ropes, prime for a knockout, Haliburton used his Fred Astaire footwork to create space for the final blow — a 3-pointer that looked eerily similar to the one that eliminated the Celtics.
Haliburton’s mastery continued as the Pacers stunned the Bucks, 128-119, with a 37point fourth quarter — sound familiar, Celtics fans? — to give small-market Indiana a berth in Saturday’s final against the Lakers, 133-89 winners over the Pelicans in the other semi.
Haliburton finished with 27 points, 15 assists and zero turnovers. In his past 90 minutes, 36 seconds played — including the entire Celtics win — he has 31 assists and zero turnovers. He’s been virtually perfect in the elimination of two conference juggernauts, making the Pacers — who haven’t reached the playoffs since the NBA Bubble — the most unlikely choice to reach this tournament final.
“Yeah, it’s why we came here; we’re not coming here to just make it look good and try to get there or anything like that. It’s all about getting to the finish line,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “Tyrese is certainly our leader, no question about that. I thought he was spectacular; 27 and 15 these days are kind of like average numbers for him. But he drove the bus when the game counted, particularly down the stretch. He’s a great closer. He’s becoming an even better closer.”
The Pacers raced past the Celtics on Monday with 19 3-pointers as the non-Haliburton players made 14 triples. They made just four Thursday, as Indiana countered Milwaukee’s zone defense with paint precision to rally from a 6-point third-quarter deficit.
Indiana was 7 for 33 from beyond the arc. Buddy Hield, who irked the Celtics with a three in the final seconds, missed all six attempts. The Pacers scored 72 points in the paint, relying on Myles Turner and backup center Isaiah Jackson (who did not play against Boston) to dominate inside.
The Bucks are considered the primary competitor to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, but their flaws were profound as the game progressed. They have trouble defending, relenting when the game was on the line with no true rim protector.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was brilliant with 37 points and 10 rebounds, but the Milwaukee bench was crushed when Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were resting. The Bucks reserves were outscored by their Indiana counterparts, 43-13. That put so much pressure on the starters to match the NBA’s No. 1 scoring team bucket for bucket.
The atmosphere for the league’s first InSeason Tournament game in a neutral site was expected. T-Mobile Arena was about 60 percent full for the 2 p.m. local tip and the environment was subdued with no real home team. No “defense” chants. No hometown cheers for the star players. The crowd eventually became engaged because of the high level of basketball, and were buoyed by Haliburton’s stellar play in the fourth quarter.
The Pacers played and celebrated like this was their Super Bowl, and they didn’t deny their desire to make history.
“It means the world to us as a group,” Haliburton said. “I think this was the whole point of the In-Season Tournament, to see a young group like ourselves compete and come out here and fight. I think we’re shocking the world right now. Nobody expected us to be here except for the guys in the locker room. That means a lot to us, so it feels good.”
The Pacers raced out to an 11-point halftime lead before Milwaukee changed the game with a defense the Celtics promised they would use more often but never really have. The Bucks zoned the Pacers in the second half, with two defenders trapping Haliburton, preventing him from dribbling until he found his preferred 3-point area late in the game.
The Bucks were content to allow more twos than threes, and it helped that the Pacers were poor from the 3-point line, unlike Monday. Indiana responded by scoring in the paint off the zone defense, using Turner or Bruce Brown to score midrange buckets.
The Celtics refused to zone against the Pacers, and it cost them a trip to the semifinals.
If Thursday was any indication, the Celtics are a more complete team than the Bucks at this point. Besides Antetokounmpo and a spurt from former All-Star Khris Middleton, Milwaukee looked unimaginative offensively.
The Bucks have also slipped considerably on defense, thanks to the Lillard acquisition that cost Milwaukee Jrue Holiday. They are 24th in the NBA in points allowed and in the middle of the pack in opponent’s field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
Indiana shot 62 percent on 2-pointers, battering the Bucks with jumpers and layups, and Haliburton delivered the final blow as he did Monday in dramatic fashion.
“I think the league is getting exactly what they want,” Haliburton said. “This is bringing a lot of attention to our sport at a time where usually we’re kind of in a lull watching football until Christmas, the average fan. I think it’s really good for the game.”