Indiana forced two turnovers in the final 17 seconds of overtime, and Tyrese Haliburton blew past Giannis Antetokounmpo for the go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a 119-118 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks and a 4-1 series win on Tuesday night. 

The Pacers closed the game with an 8-0 run over the final 40 seconds of OT to eliminate the Bucks in the first round for the second straight season.

Haliburton had 26 points and 10 assists as he improved to 9-0 in home playoff games. This chippy playoff series ended fittingly with a shoving match between the teams at midcourt.

Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo tried to will the short-handed Bucks to victory, finishing with 30 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists, and Gary Trent Jr. made eight 3-pointers and scored 33 points for Milwaukee.

But Trent was also the culprit in the two turnovers late in OT. His inbound pass was stolen by Andrew Nembhard Jr., leading to a three-point play by Haliburton. And then, with the Bucks leading by one and just needing to maintain possession and get to the free-throw line, the Pacers pressured the ball, forcing Milwaukee to scramble. Trent couldn't control an errant pass and lost the ball out of bounds with 10.8 seconds left.

After Haliburton converted the go-ahead shot, all Milwaukee could manage was a nearly full-court heave by Trent that had no chance.

Myles Turner had 21 points and nine rebounds while Aaron Nesmith added 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers. Nembhard made a 3-pointer to start Indiana's closing run and finished with 15 points.

what a moment.
what a night. pic.twitter.com/B4BCCKx7JX

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 30, 2025

Celtics close out Magic to advance

Jayson Tatum had 35 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and the Boston Celtics pulled away after Magic star Paolo Banchero went to the bench with five fouls, beating Orlando 120-89 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The defending NBA champions will play either the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons in the second round. The Knicks lead their series 3-2 despite falling 106-103 earlier Tuesday in New York.

Franz Wagner scored 25 points, Banchero had 19 and Wendell Carter Jr. had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic, who have not won a playoff series since Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and coach Stan Van Gundy led them to the Eastern Conference finals in 2010.

The NBA’s most prolific 3-point shooting team ever, Boston went the entire first half without making a 3 - a first in almost four years - and trailed by nine. Orlando still led 51-47 early in the third quarter when Banchero picked up his fourth foul; just 79 seconds later, he picked up his fifth, a call that sent an apoplectic coach Jamahl Mosley to the officials, demanding a review.

The replay showed Banchero stepping into Jaylen Brown as he shot, and the Magic forward went to the bench, where he stayed for the rest of the quarter. In that time, Boston scored 31 of the next 40 points to open an 83-62 lead.

Brown scored 23 points for Boston.

Tatum, who injured his wrist on a hard foul in Game 1 and missed Game 2, returned with three straight games of at least 35 points. He was 11 for 11 from the free-throw line - he has not missed a foul shot since Game 1 - and 10 for 16 from the field, making four of five 3-point attempts.

Our kings pic.twitter.com/NoZ1IAJS48

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 30, 2025

Murray’s big night puts Nuggets up 3-2

Jamal Murray erupted for 43 points and Russell Westbrook chipped in 21 in his return from a foot injury, sparking the Nuggets' 131-115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers that gave Denver a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Nuggets also got 23 from Game 4 hero Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic's 21st career playoff triple-double (18 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists).

Again, Denver took a 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter only to watch the Clippers go on a furious run, like they did in Game 4 when they erased their entire deficit, only to lose 101-99 when Gordon's buzzer-beater for the first walk-off dunk in NBA playoff history.

This time, the Clippers went on a 17-4 run to cut their deficit to single digits at 116-107, but the Nuggets fended off another frenetic finish by going on an 11-0 run with Murray scoring six and Gordon five to compel Clippers coach Tyronn Lue to empty his bench.

Game 6 is Thursday night at the Intuit Dome and another win by Denver would set up a second-round series against top-seeded Oklahoma City.

Ivaca Zubac led the Clippers with a playoff career-high 27 points, Kawhi Leonard added 20 and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 18.

Murray was 8 of 14 from beyond the arc and 17 of 26 overall. He even sank a 3 from the top of the key that didn't count because the ball left his fingertips a split-second after the red light lit up the backboard, signalling the end of the first half.

HOME COOKIN’ pic.twitter.com/IXbO7Pne0q

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 30, 2025

Pistons edge Knicks to stay alive

Cade Cunningham had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and the Detroit Pistons stayed alive in their first postseason appearance since 2019 by beating the New York Knicks 106-103 in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Ausar Thompson added 22 points and Tobias Harris had 17 for the Pistons, who will have a chance to even things up Thursday night at home in Game 6. If they win, the deciding game would be back at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Detroit, though, has lost an NBA record-tying nine straight home games since 2008.

But the Pistons seem comfortable in New York, where they were 2-0 in the regular season and now 2-1 in this series, including their Game 2 victory that snapped their 15-game postseason losing streak, the longest in NBA history.

OG Anunoby scored 19 points for the Knicks, who were trying to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the third straight season. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges each had 17, but Jalen Brunson had his worst game of the postseason with 16 points on 4-for-16 shooting.

The game was tied at 95 before Jalen Duren made consecutive baskets and Cunningham scored for a six-point lead. The Pistons got a good break when Brunson and Josh Hart both left the game with injuries with 2:57 remaining and play went on for a while without a stoppage when they were ready to return. By the time they could, there were only 27 seconds left.

The Knicks cut it to 104-103 on Anunoby’s 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds remaining before Cunningham made a pair from the line with 5.4 to play for the final margin.

Our PLAYERS of the game pic.twitter.com/pO6lt9MWeT

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 30, 2025