Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Bucks 126 – Indiana Pacers 119 (Mar. 15th, 2025) Game Recap
Source: John Fisher / Getty
(MILWAUKEE, WI) – The Milwaukee Bucks (38-28) claim the season series over the Indiana Pacers (37-29) behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominating performance.
1. First Quarter
Source:Getty
On Tuesday night, a miraculous four-point play from Tyrese Haliburton elevated the Pacers over the Milwaukee Bucks. For majority of the last meeting, the game was between four points on either side. Indiana’s starting lineup was the usual crew – Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. The first six minutes consisted of the Bucks possessing the lead until the Pacers hit three consecutive triples. Haliburton hit two and then Turner’s first three of the game put the Pacers on top 18-15. Turner would tie the game up a few possessions later at 20 with two free throws. Milwaukee caught fire in the next three minutes to take the first double figure lead with a Damien Lillard thirty-footer to make it 35-25. Indiana would make minor improvements the final 2:09 of the quarter. After twelve minutes, Indiana trailed Milwaukee 38-30. Giannis Antetokounmpo was a perfect 6/6 from the field, leading all scorers with 12 points. Indiana’s leading scorer was Turner with 9 points and Haliburton with 8 points. Indiana struggled defensively, allowing Milwaukee to shoot 14/20 (70%) from the field and 4/8 from the three-point line.
2. Second Quarter
Source:Getty
Milwaukee’s torrid start would continue to the start of the second quarter. Indiana’s bench unit has not been as dynamic as last season, and the Bucks feasted off the Pacers bench unit to start the second quarter. Milwaukee scored the first 11 points of the quarter with another Lillard three extending the advantage to a first half high 19 points. Indiana countered the run with an 11-0 run to bring it back to an eight-point game. Nembhard’s layup with 6:28 left in the half made it a 49-41 ballgame. The Bucks did answer, but the Pacers were hanging in there with this game being the biggest of the season because of Siakam and Obi Toppin. Those two scored combined the final 17 points of the half. Indiana’s deficit at intermission was 65-60 after closing the quarter with an 8-2 run. Siakam led all scorers in the quarter with 17 points. Milwaukee’s leading scorers in the quarter were Giannis and Lillard with 6 points. Siakam led all scorers at halftime with 19 points, following by Antetokounmpo with 17 points. Haliburton’s double-double streak was nearly extended to nine games in the first half with 10 points and 8 assists. Giannis was two rebounds shy of a first half double-double, and Lillard was on track for a triple-double with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
3. Third Quarter
Source:Getty
The third quarter was pretty much a repeat of what happened in the first quarter. With the starters on the floor, Indiana was hanging in there, but the bench could not keep the Pacers in the game. Giannis would extend the Milwaukee lead to ten points with 9:52 left in the quarter, but Indiana drew within five two possessions later when Siakam nailed a three. Haliburton would cut into Milwaukee’s advantage a little bit later with a layup, to make it 84-80. Rick Carlisle then inserted Mathurin, McConnell, and Thomas Bryant with 4:46 left in the quarter. Indiana went ice cold from the moment on in the period. The Bucks outscored the Pacers 16-2 to close the quarter and head to the fourth with all the momentum. After three quarters, Milwaukee was leading 100-82. Antetokounmpo was unstoppable in the period, scoring 14 points while dishing out five assists. Indiana’s leading scorer in the quarter was Nesmith with 11 points. Antetokounmpo was leading all scorers after three quarters with 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Siakam was Indiana’s leading scorer with 22 points. Haliburton was Indiana’s most effective player with 16 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. In the third quarter, Milwaukee shot 13/18 (72.2%) from the field and 3/6 from three-point range. Indiana was just 2/8 in the third quarter beyond the arc.
4. Fourth Quarter
Source:Getty
Despite his bench struggling to close the third quarter, Rick Carlisle didn’t make any substitutions to start the final period. It led to Milwaukee extending its lead to a game high 21 points when Lillard delivered another deep three. At the time it was 105-84, and then Carlisle inserted Turner and Nesmith to play along McConnell, Sheppard, and Toppin. Coming out of the timeout, that group went on a quick 7-0 run with Turner scoring five of those points. With 8:12 left in the game, Carlisle went back to his starting five, hoping they would be able to make a drastic comeback. That group of players was able to make it a twelve points game with 6:29 left, but the Bucks scored five quick points to go back up by 17 with 5:47 left in the contest. For the most part, Indiana was out of the game, until Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled out with 2:46 remaining. Giannis exited with the score being 117-109. On the following possession, a Siakam floater made it a six-point game, the closest Indiana had been in the second half. Taurean Prince delivered an early dagger with a near thirty-foot three to extend Milwaukee’s lead back to nine points. Nesmith countered seven seconds later with his sixth three of the game. Milwaukee would have the ball with 1:35 left and Indiana forced them to miss a shot, but the Bucks corralled two offensive rebounds, effectively sealing the game. Nembhard delivered a three with 12.7 seconds left to make it 122-119, but the Bucks would close the game making their final four free throws. Indiana falls 126-119 to Milwaukee. Nesmith was the best player in the quarter with 13 points on a perfect 5/5 shooting, including 3/3 beyond the arc. Milwaukee’s leading scorer was Lillard with 8 points.
5. Top Performers
Source:Getty
Giannis Antetokounmpo (34p, 10r, 7a, 3b, 1s), Damian Lillard (25p, 10r, 8a), Kevin Porter Jr. (16p, 6r, 4a), Taurean Prince (14p, 4r, 5s), Gary Trent Jr. (13p, 4r, 3a), and Brook Lopez (10p). For Indiana, Aaron Nesmith (30p, 4r), Pascal Siakam (26p, 7r, 2b), Tyrese Haliburton (24p, 15a, 6r, 5s), and Myles Turner (14p, 4r). For tonight’s full box score, click here.
6. Notes
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- Indiana is now 37-29 and 16-19 away
- Indiana is 21-11 in 2025
- Indiana is 7-6 after the All-Star break
- Indiana has now lost 4 of the last 5 on the road games
- Indiana has allowed 120+ points in 5 of the last 6 road games
- Indiana loses season series to Milwaukee 3-1
- Indiana now trails Milwaukee by a game for fourth in the Eastern Conference
- Indiana still holds onto a one game lead over the Detroit Pistons for fifth
- Indiana is 4-7 on the second night of a back-to-back
- Indiana’s bench players were on average -20.6 in +/-
- Aaron Nesmith set a new career high with 30 points
- Aaron Nesmith 20+ points in 3 games this season
- Aaron Nesmith’s 6 threes tie a season high
- One shy of tying career high
- Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard were a team best +27 in +/-
- Bennedict Mathurin & T.J. McConnell were a team worst -31 in +/-
- Damian Lillard recorded his 14th double-double
- Damian Lillard scored 20+ points for the 45th time
- Damian Lillard recorded 5+ threes for the 15th time
- Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 46th double-double on the season
- Giannis Antetokounmpo has scored 30+ points in 32 games
- Giannis Antetokounmpo fouled out for the 2nd time of the season
- Myles Turner is shooting 14/46 (30.4%) from three-point range this month
- Pascal Siakam recorded his 38th game with 20+ points
- Tyrese Haliburton recorded his 24th double-double on the season
- Tyrese Haliburton ties career high double-double streak at 9 games
- Ties franchise record for consecutive double-doubles with points & assists
- Haliburton has recorded 110 assists and 9 turnovers during stretch
- Tyrese Haliburton has recorded 15+ assists in 4 games this season
- Tyrese Haliburton has scored 20+ points in 23 games this season
7. Next Up
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Indiana will one day off and will conclude its three-game road trip in Minneapolis on Monday night. Pat Boylan will have the pregame coverage between the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30pm. Mark Boyle and Eddie Gill will have the play-by-play at 8pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.
With the Bucks having 17 rostered players, cuts were going to have to happen at some point, and Pete Nance is the first casualty. Nance was always the most obvious player to cut because of his non-guaranteed $2.5m contract, which would have become guaranteed if they kept him past Saturday. Also, Milwaukee acquired a fair few guys who play his position via the Giannis trade (Ware, Jaquez, Ament). I should mention that this technically does not proclude the Bucks from signing the big man to another deal, but it feels unlikely, given the aforementioned lack of spots.
This is something of a kick in the guts for many fans, including myself, who really thought Milwaukee had found a diamond in the rough with Nance. The number of times we would remark on Deer Diaries about how he was “always in the right spots” and “did all the little things” was… pretty large! After coming to the Bucks late in the 2024-25 season, Nance had a breakout 2025-26 campaign (although his numbers certainly don’t jump off the page), averaging 5.4 PPG and 2.7 RPG on 51.5% from the field and 42.0% from three. Assuming it isn’t with the Bucks, let’s hope he lands somewhere that gives him a real shot.
MILWAUKEE — As Venezuela continues to recover from devastating earthquakes, support from Milwaukee’s “United for Venezuela Emergency Relief Campaign” is soon heading to the disaster-stricken country.
The basement of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church is filled to the brim with donations ticketed for Venezuela, the culmunation of a week of community generosity.
From food to clothing and toys, the outpouring has been remarkable said Father Norberto Sandoval, who is from Venezuela and serves as associate pastor of Blessed Sacrament.
“This [has been] overwhelming,” said Sandoval. “I mean, if you can see [the basement], you were able to get in on Monday. Now we [are not] able to walk.”
(Spectrum News 1/Blake Dietz)
Aura Escobar, who is also from Venezuela, has been doing whatever she can to help her home country, including packing donations. She described the support from friends, coworkers, and strangers as something special to witness.
“In my Venmo, I had three thousand dollars in less than 24 hours,” Escobar said. “And I was able to buy stuff to donate. It’s been amazing. It’s very heartwarming to have so many people that care about Venezuela.”
Due to limited storage capacity and the logistical planning required to transport the supplies to those who need them most, organizers have decided to stop accepting donations after Friday afternoon.
“We have more than a thousand boxes right now. We are expecting two semi-trucks either to move [Friday] in the afternoon or tomorrow,” Sandoval said.
(Spectrum News 1/Blake Dietz)
He acknowledged that corruption in times of trauma is a long-standing concern in Venezuela. For that reason, the trucks will take the local donations to Miami, where a Venezuelan organization he fully trusts will handle the final distribution.
“We have already the person and it’s going to be [done] free. It’s going to be directly to a group of religious groups in Venezuela. So, in that way people will get the donations,” he said.
Sandoval and other organizers are putting out one final plea for volunteers to help load the semi-trucks on Friday and Saturday.
Video circulating this week shows masked federal agents in Milwaukee arresting people. City leaders say the face coverings violate a city ordinance — but whether federal agents are required to follow local ordinances is a legal question that may ultimately be decided by a federal judge.
RELATED | Father with no criminal record detained by ICE on Milwaukee’s south side, family says
Local attorney Russell Jones said the answer depends on the specific ordinance and what federal authorities are doing.
“The issue becomes whether or not the local ordinances interfere with the operations of the federal officers acting under federal law. If it does, federal law will supersede it. Right, it’s the supremacy clause of the Constitution. If it doesn’t interfere with their operations, then typically they will follow those ordinances. So that’s really the question: do the ordinances interfere with the legitimate operations of the federal agency?” Jones explained.
For the past week, masked federal agents have been seen in Wisconsin arresting people they say are in the country illegally.
Watch: Do federal agents have to follow Milwaukee’s face covering and park ordinances?
Do federal agents have to follow Milwaukee’s face covering and park ordinances?
Galo Suarez described one encounter.
“They broke our side window, and they told us that if we didn’t comply, we would face several heavy consequences,” Suarez said.
Images have also surfaced of what appear to be federal agents in Milwaukee County parks.
Federal agents wearing masks and being in county parks, according to city and county leaders, are against local ordinances.
Milwaukee’s city ordinance prohibits law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings. A Milwaukee County ordinance prohibits any law enforcement agency from using a park as a staging area without a permit.
When asked whether a resolution to the legal question was possible now, Jones said it likely falls to the courts.
“That’s a question that eventually probably some federal judge will answer,” Jones said.
Before the city’s face covering ordinance was passed, City Attorney Evan Goyke wrote in a memo that “it is legal and enforceable.”
Enforcement of the ordinance would fall to Milwaukee Police, who earlier this week said they have “requested a formal written legal opinion from the city attorney’s office regarding the ordinance’s applicability and enforceability.” TMJ4 News reached out to Goyke on this and is waiting to hear back.
ICE has already stated it “will not abide by unconstitutional bans,” noting that “ICE officers wear face coverings for one reason: to protect themselves and their families from real-world threats including agitators.”
Jones said the practical challenge of enforcing a local ordinance against federal officers adds another layer of complexity.
“Enforcing a local ordinance right is typically done with an arrest or issuing a ticket, and certainly arresting ICE officers would interfere with their operations,” Jones added. “Ultimately, a federal judge will decide if these ordinances interfere with federal operations, and if they do, they will be superseded by federal law, and if they don’t, then ICE would likely have to follow them.”
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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