The Indiana Pacers led wire-to-wire on Tuesday, April 22, winning Game 2 of the first-round series 123-115 over the Milwaukee Bucks, improving to 2-0 with another home victory. The strong showing, in which the Pacers built a 16-point lead, came on the heels of its star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, being voted the NBA’s “most overrated player.”
The two-time All-Star received 14.4% of 90 votes in The Athletic’s poll, published on April 22, meaning 13 players selected him. After being slighted in The Athletic’s annual anonymous player poll, Haliburton calmly responded, underscoring his focus on winning.
He appeared unfazed during his postgame interview, noting that he didn’t take the disrespect personally or try to silence his doubters. Instead, he continued implementing a team-first mentality.
Tyrese Haliburton on How Voting Impacted His Game 2 Performance
“It didn’t impact the way I played today at all. I must be doing something right if that’s the case,” Haliburton said of the poll. “I don’t have a big speech or comment on it. All I care about is this locker room and winning games, and we’re in a position to go to Milwaukee, [Wis.], and continue this series on.
“So, not too worried about that. I know who I am, I’m confident in my own skin, and not worried about what anybody thinks. My teammates trust me, my front office, my coaching staff, so I’m good. I could care less.”
"I must be doing something right if that's the case. I'm good. I could care less"
– Tyrese Haliburton on being labeled ‘overrated’
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24 )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 23, 2025
Haliburton’s comments align with the Pacers’ box score, as six of their players scored 14 or more points, led by star forward Pascal Siakam (24 points). Haliburton finished second with 21 points, adding five rebounds, a game-high 12 assists, and three 3-pointers, shooting 8-for-19 (42.1%).
He continues to be the orchestrator of Indiana’s high-octane offense, which Milwaukee has struggled to keep up with through two games. The Pacers hold a 2-0 lead despite Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo amassing 70 combined points over his first two outings.
Haliburton Looking To Lead Pacers on Another Deep Playoff Run
Haliburton and Co. are looking to build on last year’s surprise Eastern Conference Finals appearance for the first time since 2014, in which they lost to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.
If Haliburton can lead Indiana, who are 50-32 in the regular season, on another lengthy postseason run while serving as an elite playmaker and shooter, he could change some of his skeptics’ minds.
Haliburton did not quite show up in Indiana’s 117-98 Game 1 victory on Saturday, April 19, but he still nearly logged a triple-double, scoring 10 points, dishing out 12 assists, and snagging seven rebounds. In fact, he averaged 9.2 assists per game this regular season (the third-most in the league) alongside his 18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game.
Regardless, the two-time All-NBA selectee appears locked in on the task at hand. Riding on that, the Pacers will look to take a daunting 3-0 lead during Friday’s road clash at Fiserv Forum.