The Milwaukee Bucks were just two wins away from the NBA In-Season Tournament title. Now, they’re down and out.
Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers made sure of that after their massive 128-119 win in Thursday’s semifinal showdown.
Indiana Pacers Upset Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks came into Thursday’s do-or-die contest as the favorites. Haliburton and the Pacers, however, did not care.
The Pacers superstar guard led the way with 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting, with seven rebounds, 15 assists, a block, three triples, and amazingly, zero turnovers in 37 minutes of play.
Myles Turner also put on a show with his 26-point, 10-rebound double-double, with three blocks and a steal.
Giannis Antetokounmpo did all he could in this one, finishing with a game-high 37 points on 13-of-19 from the field, to go along with 10 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Damian Lillard chipped in with 24 points, four treys, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
In the end, though, the Bucks had no answer to Haliburton, who will now look to lead Indiana to the IST championship on Saturday against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bucks Twitter in Shambles
You just know that Bucks fans aren’t going to be happy about this brutal loss. They had a tremendous shot at their first piece of silverware this season — and they failed.
Milwaukee supporters could not help but air their frustration on Twitter:
Choked when it mattered in the 4th
— 🦇 (@Shadowiscold) December 8, 2023
Empty stats
— Honest KD Fan (11-6) (@TrolledByKD) December 8, 2023
Bro got a top 75 player with him and he still needs help. How does that make sense
— 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘶̄𝘨𝘰̃ (@GianniBurnerr) December 8, 2023
Dame not clutch, L trade
— 🦇 (@Shadowiscold) December 8, 2023
We need to have that @Dame_Lillard talk! The guy seems like he doesn't want to be in Milwaukee! 🤔 Where's the dame time?
— Ndong Mezui (@NdongMezui3) December 8, 2023
Delete club no defense at all fire griffin
— markvic (@Markvic50000) December 8, 2023
Embarrassing loss on national TV. I lost track of how many layups, dunks, and second chance transition points the Bucks gave up. Lopez is slow, but no one consistently ran back and ID’d ball location. Also, how can Lopez have more 3 attempts for the game than Dame or Khris??? pic.twitter.com/AkXCSlWrL8
— Frank Lilly (@FrankLillyPM) December 8, 2023
What an Embarrassment!!! To lose to that team ! Bucks have two top 75 players of all time and you let the kid from Wisconsin beat ya??? Pathetic! 👎
— $uper Mario (@xmariomc) December 8, 2023
Needless to say, Bucks fans are hurting right now.
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