NBA L2M Report Says Haliburton Buzzer-Beater Was Clean, Refs Missed 2 Fouls on Knicks

The biggest moment from the Indiana Pacers’ dramatic comeback win over the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was officiated correctly.

The NBA released its last two minute report from that game Thursday and revealed Tyrese Haliburton did not travel or double dribble on his buzzer-beating shot that forced overtime in Indiana’s 138-135 win. While some may have thought he did, the report explained that Mikal Bridges knocked the ball loose before the shot.

“Haliburton (IND) briefly loses control of the ball after it is deflected by Bridges (NYK),” the report said while calling it a correct no-call. “He then legally dribbles, gathers the ball, and takes two steps into his shooting motion.”

The officials weren’t perfect, though, as the report said they missed a foul Karl-Anthony Towns committed on Aaron Nesmith and another Bridges committed on Obi Toppin in overtime. The Bridges one came on Toppin’s late dunk that extended Indiana’s lead to three, and an and-1 would have made it a two-possession advantage.

Fortunately for the visitors, that missed call on Toppin’s dunk didn’t make a difference.

Jalen Brunson and Towns missed three-pointers on the ensuing possession that could have forced double-overtime, and the Pacers stunned the fans at Madison Square Garden and stole home-court advantage in the series.

While Indiana prevailed in overtime, it was the end of regulation that stood out.

It finished the fourth quarter on a 23-9 run thanks in large part to Nesmith’s red-hot three-point shooting. He finished with 30 points on 8-of-9 shooting from deep, and six of those triples came in the last five minutes of regulation.

That set the stage for Haliburton to play the role of hero, and he took full advantage of the moment with the buzzer-beater and a double-double of 31 points and 11 assists. One of those assists came on an Andrew Nembhard basket in the final 30 seconds of regulation to give the Pacers the lead for good.

Nembhard assisted Toppin’s dunk on the team’s next possession on a play that would have stood out even more for the victors had they not gotten the defensive stop on New York’s final possession.

After all, a four-point lead would have been much different than a three-point lead in that situation. Alas, it didn’t matter for Indiana at the end, and it will look to seize full control of the series in Friday’s Game 2.