The Indiana Pacers eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks in an absolute whirlwind of a Game 5 on Tuesday night. Tyrese Haliburton led his team on a furious comeback in the final minute of overtime to secure a place in the second round and send Giannis Antetokounmpo packing. While many of the headlines postgame involved the craziness that unfolded on the court following the final whistle, Wednesday brought the revelation that the Pacers got a boost from a wrong call in a big moment.
The NBA released the Last Two Minute Report for the Bucks-Pacers game and said the referees were wrong to call Bucks sharpshooter AJ Green for a foul on Haliburton with 17 seconds remaining. At the time, the Pacers were down by four, Haliburton drove for a layup to cut the deficit to two, and Green's foul gave him an and-one that he successfully completed.
Doesn't much matter now, but on the Last Two Minute Report from last night's game, the NBA found one incorrect call or no-call:
— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) April 30, 2025
AJ Green's "foul" on Tyrese Haliburton with 17.1 seconds left pic.twitter.com/QUqAPi6DtC
The loss itself is brutal but this is salt on the wound for Milwaukee fans. If the referees had called the sequence correctly, Haliburton's game-winning layup soon after would have been for the tie instead. Then both teams head into double OT, where just about anything can happen. Instead, Haliburton pushed his team out front thanks to the wrong call and subsequent make, and the Bucks' season was over.
Another wrong call in a big moment for NBA refs this postseason.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Says Bucks-Pacers Refs Got Big Call Wrong Late in Overtime of Game 5.
