Bucks vs. Pacers live score, updates, highlights from 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal

And then there were four.

The NBA’s first-ever In-Season Tournament is off to Vegas as the Semifinals begin with an Eastern Conference showdown between the Bucks and Pacers, who finished first and second in the In-Season Tournament table, respectively.

In the Quarterfinals, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard combined for 63 points to power Milwaukee to a 146-122 win over New York. On the other side of the bracket, Tyrese Haliburton’s 26-point triple-double pushed Indiana to a somewhat stunning 122-112 win over Boston.

Now, Haliburton will again look to lead his team to victory against a star-studded Bucks team with a trip to the first-ever In-Season Tournament championship on the line.

The Sporting News is tracking live score updates and highlights from Thursday’s In-Season Tournament semifinal between Milwaukee and Indiana.

MORE: Explaining all you need to know about how the In-Season Tournament works

Bucks vs. Pacers score

Team
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Final
Bucks
29
22
–
–
–
Pacers
27
36
–
–
–

Bucks vs. Pacers live score, updates, highlights from 2023 In-Season Tournament semifinal

All times Eastern.

Third quarter

6:45 p.m.: Dame Time is starting a little early in Las Vegas.

Damian Lillard is up to 14 points in the third quarter alone, bringing his total to 18 points in the game. Behind Lillard’s hot shooting, the Bucks have regained the lead. Milwaukee’s up four midway through the third.

Timeout Indiana.

Bucks 76, Pacers 72

6:33 p.m.: That was quick.

Damian Lillard drains a 3 to cut the deficit to nine and Rick Carlisle signals for a Pacers timeout just 52 seconds into the second half. Indiana will talk things over less than a minute into the quarter.

Pacers 63, Bucks 54

Halftime: Pacers 63, Bucks 51

6:18 p.m.: Indiana outscores Milwaukee by 14 points in the second quarter and takes a 12-point lead into the halftime break.

The stars have been shining early on, as Tyrese Haliburton has 11 points and seven assists to lead the way for the Pacers. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounpmo has 20 points and six rebounds at the half.

Damian Lillard, however, has struggled, scoring just four points on 2-of-10 shooting.

6:08 p.m.: A quick sprint from Indiana has its lead up to double digits.

Back-to-back buckets from Obi Toppin bring his total to 10 points in the game, which matches the Pacers’ lead.

Timeout Milwaukee with 3:09 left in the first half.

Pacers 54, Bucks 44

6:03 p.m.: The Pacers are still ahead, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing what he does best.

Antetokounmpo just punctuated a downhill drive with a left-handed dunk before Myles Turner could contest. Antetokounmpo’s up to a game-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting.

Giannis with the lefty THROWDOWN😲

16 PTS in the 1H 🔥

🏀 Pacers/Bucks on ESPN
🏆 Winner advances to Championship in Las Vegas on Saturday pic.twitter.com/xKPHz6wwG1

— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2023

The Pacers still lead by five points with 4:19 remaining in the half. Turner leads Indiana with 11 points while Tyrese Haliburton is up to nine points and four assists.

Pacers 49, Bucks 44

5:52 p.m.: It’s the TJ McConnell Show at T-Mobile Arena.

McConnell has come off the bench to score seven points, dish out two assists and snag two steals in just seven minutes of action. Indiana is a plus-four with McConnell on the floor and it takes a four-point lead into this timeout break.

Pacers 38, Bucks 34

End of first quarter: Bucks 29, Pacers 27

5:41 p.m.: The first quarter of the first Semifinal is in the books and Milwaukee leads by two.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 10 points lead the way for the Bucks, while Damian Lillard was scoreless after missing all six of his field goal attempts. Khris Middleton has chipped in with seven points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting.

Tyrese Haliburton has set the table with six points and three assists but Myles Turner has matched Antetokounmpo’s game-high total with 10 points while shooting 4 of 6 from the field.

5:30 p.m.: Things have slowed down ahead of the second break in action but the Bucks remain ahead.

Milwaukee leads by three with 4:13 remaining in the opening frame.

It’s mostly been about the big men as Myles Turner leads all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s eight points lead the way while Brook Lopez isn’t far behind with six points.

Bucks 23, Pacers 20

5:22 p.m.: To no surprise, the pace has been rapid to start and the Bucks are out to a seven-point lead early on.

Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the way with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting and as a team, Milwaukee is shooting 7 of 11 (63.5 percent) from the field, including 3 of 4 (75.0 percent) from deep.

The Pacers are led by Tyrese Haliburton, who has six points, a rebound and an assist. As a team, Indiana is 6 of 10 from the field but has yet to connect from deep.

We’re less than five minutes into the game.

Bucks 19, Pacers 12

5:15 p.m.: Myles Turner lobs it up to Obi Toppin, who gets Indiana on the board first with a finish at the rim.

Game on in Las Vegas.

Pregame

4:30 p.m.: Starting for the Bucks: Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.

Starting for the Pacers: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin and Myles Turner.

2:45 p.m.: The red carpet is laid, the stars are out and it’s almost time for the first of two Semifinal games to tip off.

Dame x Giannis

The Bucks have hit the Red Carpet 👀

MIL-IND | In-Season Tournament Semifinals | 5pm/et on ESPN 🏆 pic.twitter.com/lQu3Y4OX4p

— NBA (@NBA) December 7, 2023

MORE: Rick Carlisle built the best offense in history by trusting Tyrese Haliburton

Bucks vs. Pacers start time

Date: Thursday, Dec. 7
Time: 5 p.m. ET | 2 p.m. PT

Bucks vs. Pacers will tip off around 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 7. The game will be played at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

What channel is Bucks vs. Pacers on?

Date: Thursday, Dec. 7
TV channel: ESPN
Live streaming: Sling TV

Bucks vs. Pacers will air on ESPN. Viewers can also stream the game on Sling TV.

Fans in the U.S. can watch the biggest games of the 2023-24 NBA season on Sling TV, which is now offering HALF OFF your first month! Sling base packages (Sling Orange or Sling Blue) start at just $20 for your first month, or you can get Sling Orange + Blue starting at $27.50 for your first month.

There are no long-term contracts, and you can change your channel lineup anytime. DVR is included along with thousands of on-demand shows and movies.