Doc Rivers appeared poised to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to an emotional victory on Tuesday, taking a late lead against the Indiana Pacers that would have overcome the loss of Damian Lillard to extend their NBA playoff series.

Then it all fell apart in the final 40 seconds.

The Bucks held a seven-point lead late in overtime but saw the Pacers end the game on a frenetic 8-0 run, one that was punctuated by a series of miscues from the Bucks.

After the Pacers won 119-118 to advance to the next round and send the Bucks home for the offseason, Rivers told reporters that his team suffered a major lapse when Andrew Nembhard took advantage of a sagging Milwaukee defense and nailed a 3-pointer that cut the lead to four points and sparked the rally.

“I thought the biggest play of the game, it was a defensive mistake, but it was Nembhard’s three,” Rivers said. “I thought that was the single biggest play, because that gave them hope again. That was a defensive mistake.”

DOWN 7 WITH 35 SECONDS TO PLAY…

PACERS SCORE 8 STRAIGHT POINTS TO WIN THE SERIES 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sU60PNTszk

— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2025

The Bucks had other mistakes during the final run, including a mishandled pass by Gary Trent Jr. that slipped out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Pacers.

Rivers said it’s a shame that this will be remembered by history as another first-round exit for the Bucks instead of a series where they battled despite the major injury to Lillard. He suffered a torn Achilles in Game 4, an injury that could keep him out for the entirety of next season.

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