Tyrese Haliburton completed a three-point play with 1.6 seconds left, capping his first post-season triple-double in his first home playoff game to give the Pacers a 121-118 overtime victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Indiana lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 on Sunday (local time) in Indianapolis.
Two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo again sat out for Milwaukee on Friday night (Saturday AEST) because of a strained left calf.
Haliburton had 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds. Myles Turner added 29 points and nine rebounds, both playoff career highs, to help give Indiana their first back-to-back post-season wins since taking three straight in the 2014 Eastern Conference semi-finals.
The Pacers also have their first lead in the playoffs since Game 3 of a first-round match-up against Cleveland in 2018.
Indiana haven't won a series since reaching the 2014 Eastern Conference finals.
In Dallas, Luka Doncic had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the defensive-minded Mavericks scored a 101-90 victory over the LA Clippers for a 2-1 lead in their first-round series.
The Mavs rode the same defence that gave them home-court advantage with a Game 2 victory in LA, and won in Dallas three years after losing all three first-round games on their floor in a seven-game series loss to the Clippers.
Game 4 is in Dallas on Sunday.
Rookie Dereck Lively II scored all 13 of his points in the first half and Daniel Gafford, his tag-team partner as a dunker and rim protector, had an emphatic block of a dunk attempt by Paul George early in the fourth quarter while Dallas was taking control for good in a game with five technical fouls, a flagrant foul and two ejections.
Aussie Josh Green spent 25 minutes on court for the Mavs, contributing five rebounds and eight points.
Green's compatriot, Dante Exum, had one rebound and one assist during his 12 minutes of court time.
James Harden scored 21 points for the Clippers, but just seven after halftime, while fellow stars George and Kawhi Leonard had little impact.
In Phoenix, Anthony Edwards scored 36 points and Rudy Gobert added 19 points and 14 rebounds as Minnesota used a hot-shooting third quarter to beat Phoenix 126-109 and take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
Minnesota will be going for the sweep in Game 4 on Sunday in Phoenix.
It was the third straight game the Wolves have used a big third quarter to turn a tight encounter into a comfortable victory.
Minnesota hit 7-of-11 three-pointers during the surge, including four from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, to take a 22-point lead into the final quarter.
Bradley Beal led the Suns with 28 points, while Kevin Durant had 25 and Devin Booker 23.
Australian Associated Press
