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In a nod to franchise icon Reggie Miller and his memorable interaction with Spike Lee back in 1994, Tyrese Haliburton celebrated a crucial basket by motioning a choke signal to the audience at Madison Square Garden. Although he believed he secured a victory with his buzzer-beating jumper, a review revealed that it merely sent the game into overtime. Ultimately, the Indiana Pacers triumphed with a score of 138-135.
The home team had a commanding 14-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but found themselves trailing 0-1 in the best-of-seven series of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2025 NBA Playoffs presented by Google.
“They hit their shots, and we didn’t. We committed some errors, especially missing free throws,” remarked O.G. Anunoby on the late surge from the Pacers during a postgame press conference following that thrilling Game 1.
Anunoby, 27, played 41 minutes on Wednesday, contributing 16 points alongside three blocks, three steals, three rebounds, and two assists. Other European players available to coach Tom Thibodeau, Frenchman Pacome Dadiet and German Ariel Hukporti, remained on the bench.
Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 43 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 35, but it wasn’t enough for a victory. For the Pacers, Haliburton finished with 31 points, and Aaron Nesmith added 30.
As the series shifts back to New York for Game 2, it will continue on Friday.
“We just need to be a resilient team. It’s only one game. The series has just begun,” Anunoby emphasized, “We’ll watch the tape, learn from our mistakes, and move forward.”
In other playoff matchups, the Cleveland Cavaliers swept the Miami Heat 4-0 (121-100, 121-112, 124-87, 138-83), while the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic 4-1 (103-86, 109-100, 93-95, 107-98, 120-89). The New York Knicks edged the Detroit Pistons 4-2 (123-112, 94-100, 118-116, 94-93, 103-106, 116-113), and the Indiana Pacers bested the Milwaukee Bucks 4-1 (117-98, 123-115, 101-117, 129-103, 119-118).
The Oklahoma City Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies 4-0 (131-80, 118-99, 114-108, 117-115), while the Houston Rockets fell to the Golden State Warriors in a tightly contested series, 3-4 (85-95, 109-94, 93-104, 106-109, 131-116, 115-107, 89-103). The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 1-4 (95-117, 94-85, 104-116, 113-116, 96-103), whereas the Denver Nuggets narrowly triumphed over the Los Angeles Clippers 4-3 (112-110, 102-105, 83-117, 101-99, 131-115, 105-111, 120-101).
In the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Indiana Pacers 1-4 (112-121, 119-120, 126-104, 109-129, 105-114), while the Boston Celtics lost to the New York Knicks 2-4 (105-108, 90-91, 115-93, 113-121, 127-102, 81-119).
The Oklahoma City Thunder edged the Denver Nuggets 4-3 (119-121, 149-106, 104-113, 92-87, 112-105, 107-119, 125-93), while the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Golden State Warriors 4-1 (88-99, 117-93, 102-97, 117-110, 121-110).
In the current series, the New York Knicks are down 0-1 against the Indiana Pacers (135-138), and the Oklahoma City Thunder lead the Minnesota Timberwolves 1-0 (114-88).
Stay tuned for updates on the Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions!
