LAS VEGAS — The Indiana Pacers are one win away from claiming the first-ever NBA Cup.
Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner led the Pacers into Saturday's championship game of the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament with a 128-119 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Haliburton scored 27 points, dished out 15 assists and grabbed seven rebounds in the win. Turner added 26 points and pulled down 10 boards.
“We’re playing the right way, and we’re shocking the world right now. We’re going to continue to do that,” Haliburton said. "And as long as we play the right way, we know we’re going to be in every basketball game.”
Buddy Hield led the Pacers with 11 rebounds, while Obi Toppin, Isaiah Jackson and Bruce Brown also scored in double figures for Indiana.
Indiana is averaging a whopping 132.6 points during the tournament. Overall, they are averaging 128.3 this season — 131.7 over the last 14 games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Milwaukee in the loss.
Most important, however, was Indiana’s reserves outscoring Milwaukee’s backups 43-13. Indiana’s bench was a combined plus-62, while Milwaukee’s reserves were minus-46.
“Yeah, our bench really was the difference in today’s game,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. “If you look at the plus-minus, it’s pretty obvious that those guys played a major role.”
It was most evident in the second quarter, when Bennedict Mathurtin and T.J. McConnell came into the game with the Pacers trailing by two, and sparked a 16-7 run that gave Indiana a 43-36 lead while setting the tone for the starters as they eased back into the lineup.
“I know a lot of people don’t watch us play all the time, but we truly have one of the best benches in the NBA, if not the best bench in the NBA,” Haliburton said. “We’re a really deep team with a lot of different guys who can contribute. I’m sure we’ve got a lot of guys that people aren’t really familiar with, but they’ll be familiar all too soon, for sure.”
The Pacers led by 12 points at halftime, but fell behind after a 43-point third quarter by Milwaukee heading into the final quarter. Indiana opened the fourth with a 14-8 run to take a 105-102 lead. Turner, Brown and Haliburton accounted for 17 points during a game-ending 21-13 run.
After scoring a season-high 146 points and making 23 of 38 3-pointers in a quarterfinal victory over New York, the Bucks were 12 of 33 on 3s and 43 of 96 overall from the field.
The Pacers, who have won all five of their games in the tournament, will face the Los Angeles Lakers in Saturday's championship game.
Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST in Las Vegas.
Championship watch party
The Pacers announced after the game that Gainbridge Fieldhouse will be open to fans during Saturday's championship game. The team will show the game on the arena's video board, and the watch party will include an exclusive NBA In-Season Tournament Championship poster, giveaways and performances by the Pacers entertainment teams.
Admission is free and seating will be general admission. Gates will open at 7:30 p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. EST game, and concessions will be available for purchase.
There is a limit of six tickets to the watch party per person, and a limited number of complimentary parking spaces will be available in the Virginia Avenue garage next to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
For more information about the event and to claim your free tickets, click here.
Box score
INDIANA (128)
Hield 3-11 2-2 8, Toppin 6-8 1-2 14, Turner 9-18 6-8 26, B.Brown 3-9 4-4 10, Haliburton 11-19 2-2 27, Jackson 5-7 1-1 11, Mathurin 3-12 3-3 9, Nembhard 4-5 0-0 8, Nesmith 2-6 1-1 6, McConnell 4-7 1-2 9. Totals 50-102 21-25 128.
MILWAUKEE (119)
G.Antetokounmpo 13-19 11-13 37, Middleton 7-13 2-2 20, B.Lopez 7-17 1-3 18, Beasley 3-9 0-0 7, Lillard 7-20 6-6 24, Beauchamp 2-3 1-4 5, Portis 2-5 0-0 4, Green 0-1 0-0 0, Jackson Jr. 0-0 0-0 0, Payne 2-9 0-0 4. Totals 43-96 21-28 119.
Indiana 27 36 28 37 — 128
Milwaukee 29 22 43 25 — 119
3-Point Goals: Indiana 7-33 (Haliburton 3-9, Turner 2-8, Toppin 1-3, Nesmith 1-4, B.Brown 0-1, Mathurin 0-2, Hield 0-6), Milwaukee 12-33 (Middleton 4-5, Lillard 4-9, B.Lopez 3-10, Beasley 1-4, G.Antetokounmpo 0-1, Portis 0-1, Payne 0-3).
Fouled Out: None.
Rebounds: Indiana 51 (Hield 11), Milwaukee 46 (G.Antetokounmpo 10).
Assists: Indiana 30 (Haliburton 15), Milwaukee 19 (Lillard 7).
Total Fouls: Indiana 21, Milwaukee 17.
Attendance: 16,837 (18,000)
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)