Tyrese Haliburton Hugs Girlfriend Jade after Pacers Win, Dad Mimics 'Choke' on Video

Indiana Pacers superstar guard Tyrese Haliburton and his family reveled in his clutch buzzer beater, which sent Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals to overtime on Wednesday night en route to a 138-135 win over the New York Knicks.

Following Indiana's dramatic, come-from-behind victory, Haliburton was seen embracing his girlfriend, Jade Jones, on the Madison Square Garden court:

Haliburton's father, John Haliburton, was not in attendance, but video of the elder Haliburton at what appeared to be a Pacers watch party showed him imitating his son's "choke" celebration:

John had a run-in with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo following the Pacers' first-round playoff series against the Bucks with Giannis calling it a "disrespectful" exchange.

As a result, the Pacers announced that Haliburton's father would not be attending any of their games "for the foreseeable future."

After Tyrese hit the improbable shot at the buzzer to send the game to OT on Wednesday, he pantomimed choking as an homage to Pacers legend Reggie Miller.

During the second round of the 1995 NBA playoffs, Miller turned in one of the most clutch performances of all time, scoring eight points in 8.9 seconds to help the Pacers steal Game 1 on the road against the Knicks.

After helping the Pacers erase a 105-99 deficit in the final 18 seconds, Miller celebrated by making a choking gesture, which rubbed the proverbial salt in the wound of the Knicks, who lost the game 107-105.

Miller's performance and subsequent celebration became the stuff of NBA legend, and the Pacers went on to win the series 4-3.

Haliburton said after the game that he thought his buzzer beater in Game 1 was a three-pointer, which would have made it a game-winning shot.

He admitted that he would not have done the choke celebration had he known that it was only a game-tying shot:

The celebration could easily have been used against Haliburton had the Pacers been unable to seal the deal in overtime, but they delivered in the clutch once again.

Trailing by one with one with 35 seconds remaining, Andrew Nembhard made a layup and Obi Toppin slammed home a dunk to give Indiana the 138-135 win.

With the key road win, Haliburton and the Pacers are up 1-0 in the series, and they will look to keep the momentum rolling in Game 2 on Friday night.