OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Tyrese Haliburton and the never-say-die Indiana Pacers pulled off one more last-second comeback, this time on the NBA’s largest stage.
Haliburton’s 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave Indiana its first and solely lead of the sport, and the Pacers surprised the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder 111-110 on Thursday night time in Sport 1 of the NBA Finals after a comeback for the ages.
“Man, basketball’s enjoyable,” Haliburton stated. “Profitable is enjoyable.”
The Pacers turned the ball over 25 instances, trailed by 15 factors within the fourth quarter in opposition to a workforce with one of the best house file within the NBA and had no solutions for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the NBA MVP who led all scorers with 38 factors.
However that they had the league’s new Mr. Large Shot, who has now had one in all these moments in each sequence the Pacers have performed in these playoffs.
— April 29, Indiana trailed Milwaukee 118-111 with 34.6 seconds left in extra time. Haliburton scored with 1.4 seconds remaining and the Pacers received 119-118.
— Might 6, Indiana trailed Cleveland 119-112 with 48 seconds left and received 120-119. Haliburton obtained the game-winner with 1.1 seconds to play.
— Might 21, Indiana trailed New York 121-112 with 51.1 seconds left in regulation. Haliburton despatched it to extra time on a jumper with no time on the clock; Indiana received 138-135.
“We’ve had numerous expertise in these sorts of video games,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle stated.
The Pacers have been down by 15 with 9:42 left, their rally the most important within the fourth quarter of a finals recreation since Dallas additionally got here from 15 right down to beat Miami on June 2, 2011.
Carlisle coached these Mavericks. And, effectively, right here he’s once more.
“That’s a very good workforce,” Oklahoma Metropolis coach Mark Daigneault stated. “Credit score them for not solely tonight however their run. They’ve had so many video games like that which have appeared unbelievable. And so they simply play with an ideal spirit and so they maintain coming. They maintain taking part in.”
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 19 factors. Obi Toppin scored 17, Myles Turner had 15, and Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard every had 14.
Jalen Williams had 17 and Lu Dort scored 15 for Oklahoma Metropolis, which was 36-1 at house with 15-point leads this season.
Sport 2 is at Oklahoma Metropolis on Sunday night time.
Oklahoma Metropolis led by 15 early within the fourth when Carlisle known as time and subbed out all 5 gamers, in search of a spark. It labored. The Pacers outscored the Thunder 15-4 over the following 3:26 — getting inside 98-94 on a 3 by Turner with 6:16 left.
They weren’t completed. And within the last second, they discovered a means. Once more.
“We had management of the sport for essentially the most half,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated. “Now, it’s a 48-minute recreation. And so they train you that lesson greater than anybody else within the league — the exhausting means.”
