SPECTACULAR: Pacers found themselves Celebrating their Victory on the Court with an Extraordinary Performance.

After a chaotic start and an extremely wild end, the Pacers found themselves celebrating on the court with a hard-earned 133-131 victory over the Suns, drenched in effusive adulation from the Fieldhouse faithful, who were equal parts surprised and out of their minds.

These types of evenings downtown are becoming more typical for this Pacers squad, with a lot of effort put in and unsung heroes rising to the occasion. But this one was extraordinary.The unwavering determination to not succumb to an opponent’s historic performance, in this example Devin Booker’s 62 points, and instead grind away to finally tie the game at 129 despite trailing for the previous 44 minutes.

At the four-minute mark, Booker and Pascal Siakam each scored two points to put the Suns ahead 129-122, and it appeared that the Pacers would never draw the game within one possession. But then, the Pacers capitalized on two Suns misses and an offensive foul by Grayson Allen, tying the game.

Andrew Nembhard soon responded to a Booker bucket, scoring his sixth point in a row for the Pacers as he attacked Grayson Allen. The Pacers’ defence continued to scramble, as they raced to double Booker while still covering others on the perimeter. That resulted in a late contest for Kevin Durant, but it was enough for KD to miss a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds left. The Pacers suddenly seized control of the ball and the time, setting up the game’s last two possessions, which would put every bolt, screw, and nail in the newly renovated Fieldhouse to the test.

Nembhard immediately attacked Allen, but backup was on the way this time. Then Siakam became stuck in the middle but was able to get it out. Mathurin had his turn with a classic drive, shooting into traffic without drawing a foul. Siakam had what appeared to be an easy putback, but he crushed it, and the basketball gods responded, “Here.” The ball rebounded out to Obi Toppin, who went against the grain for a layup with 3.4 seconds. So, yes, the Siakam miss was advantageous because it required extra time.

The Suns then went to Booker for the final shot, so Aaron Nesmith went to work. Nesmith ran his ass off the entire game and pursued Booker in the second half, despite the Suns’ guard scoring more points than any other opponent in Fieldhouse history. However, he would remain at 62. After sliding while receiving the ball and miraculously rising up without falling (sure), Nesmith trailed to parry Booker’s long-shot game winner. Given the circumstances, this was an outstanding defensive performance. Booker ended up on the floor, seeking for a whistle, but replays indicate that the only foul was Booker kicking out his leg.