Tyrese Haliburton hits miraculous buzzer-beater as Pacers shock Knicks in OT

Tyrese Haliburton hit a step-back long two-pointer to beat the buzzer and send Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to overtime, capping off the Indiana Pacers‘ 17-point comeback in the fourth quarter.

The Pacers were trailing the New York Knicks by just two points with seven seconds remaining when Haliburton initiated the play from the other end of the court. He first penetrated the lane, but was cut off so he tried to sprint behind the 3-point line for a potential game-winning shot.

His prayer hit the back of the rim, and bounced above the backboard before, dramatically, dropping in.

Haliburton then made a choking gesture to taunt the Knicks for blowing a lead before pointing at TNT broadcaster Reggie Miller, who had originated the celebration when he was a player and helped the Pacers stun the Knicks in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.

To Haliburton’s surprise, however, his shot was ruled a two and the replay confirmed his foot was on the line. Thus, the game was knotted up at 125 and headed to overtime.

The Pacers carried their momentum into overtime to pull out a 138-135 victory. In the extra period, the Knicks jumped out to a four-point advantage. But Andrew Nembhard answered with a 3-pointer and a fast-break layup to give Indiana the lead. The two teams traded baskets for the next two minutes before Nembhard made two more crucial plays that helped Indiana seal it.

First, he scored off a crafty backdoor cut to put the Pacers up 136-135. Then, he jumped in front of an OG Anunoby pass headed for Jalen Brunson, deflecting off Brunson’s fingertips.

Officials initially ruled the ball off Nembhard, but it was overturned upon review. New York didn’t like the call, nor did Knicks superfan Timothee Chalamet.

The Knicks tried to trap the Pacers on the ensuing possession, but their aggression resulted in Obi Toppin breaking free for a game-sealing dunk.

If the Pacers had ended up losing in overtime, Haliburton’s celebration could have gone down as an embarrassingly premature gesture. In his defense, for the Pacers to even make it to overtime was a miracle.

They trailed the Knicks by 14 with 2:51 remaining in the fourth quarter, before closing on a 20-6 run with Haliburton’s shot tying it at 125. The Pacers are built for these comebacks as they stunned the Cleveland Cavaliers in both Game 1 and Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

This surge, though, created a whole new meaning for the word “comeback.”

When the Knicks led 119-105 after a Brunson 3-pointer, their win probability sat at 99.7%.

It started with Haliburton pulling and hitting a seemingly desperate 29-foot 3-point shot. Aaron Nesmith followed that with a catch-and-shoot 3 from the right wing. Then, Pascal Siakam added a free throw to cut the margin to seven. Importantly, the Pacers scored on three straight possessions without allowing the Knicks to answer, breaking a trend in a game where they struggled to string defensive stops.

Brunson did, however, drive for a layup to make it 121-112 with 59 seconds left.

Nesmith struck right back, pulling up for a left-wing 3. Karl-Anthony Towns answered that with a transition layup, but Nesmith needed just six more seconds to hit another 3-pointer, his fifth consecutive make.

He extended that streak to six on Indiana’s next possession as he curled off a screen for a right-wing 3 to make it a two-point game with 14 seconds left. Nesmith finished the game with 30 points, 20 of which came in the final 4:45 of regulation.

After his sixth straight 3, the teams traded free-throw trips, and then Anunoby went to the line with 7.3 seconds to put New York up three. After back-rimming the front end, he knocked down the second, making it 125-123.

It left the Pacers with a chance, and Haliburton capitalized. Then, they carried that momentum, and turned it into an overtime victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

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