Indiana
Seven things to know about the Milwaukee Bucks playoff foe, Indiana Pacers
Rivers, Lillard and Middleton speak on playing the Pacers in playoffs
Doc Rivers, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton speak on facing Pacers in playoffs. Rivers also spoke on the Bucks securing the Wayne Embry Trophy.
The Milwaukee Bucks have garnered the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, beginning April 21. Here’s what to know about the first-round foe.
The Indiana Pacers likely starting lineup and reserves
Likely starters
- Tyrese Haliburton, 20.3 points per game, 4.0 rebounds, 10.9 assists
- Pascal Siakam, 21.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.8 apt
- Myles Turner, 16.9 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.3 apg
- Aaron Nesmith, 12.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.5 apg
- Andrew Nembhard, 9.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.1 apg
Off the bench
- T.J. McConnell, 10.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 5.5 apg
- Jalen Smith, 9.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg
- Obi Toppin, 10.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 apg
- Ben Sheppard, 4.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.9 apg
- Isaiah Jackson, 6.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 0.8 apg
Coach: Rick Carlisle (22nd year as head coach, 63-70 playoff record, 1 NBA title)
Regular season clashes between the Bucks and Pacers
Nov. 9: Indiana 126, Milwaukee 124. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 54 points, but the Bucks ran out of gas down the stretch and Indiana rallied back from 10 points down in the final seven minutes.
Dec. 7: Indiana 128, Milwaukee 119. The first NBA In-Season Tournament featured a trip to Las Vegas for the semifinals, where the Pacers got on a hot streak that included a high-intensity win over the Bucks. Milwaukee rallied for a fourth-quarter lead but again wilted down the stretch despite 37 points from Antetokounmpo and 24 from Damian Lillard.
Dec. 13: Milwaukee 140, Indiana 126. The lone Bucks victory in five tries against Indiana had a memorable postscript. Antetokoumpo set the franchise single-game scoring record with 64 points, but a dispute over the game ball elevated tensions between the two teams, even though it turned out to be somewhat of a misunderstanding.
Jan. 1: Indiana 122, Milwaukee 113. In a New Year’s Day showcase, the Pacers ended Milwaukee’s 15-game home winning streak with a comeback victory after facing two 15-point deficits. Indiana’s bench outscored the Bucks, 70-16. Antetokounmpo had a triple double in the loss.
Jan. 3: Indiana 142, Milwaukee 130. The Bucks found themselves in the midst of a losing rut with the defeat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse two days after facing off at Fiserv Forum. Antetokounmpo flirted with a triple double.
The Indiana Pacers’ best player is from Wisconsin, but you knew that already
From afar, it’s been impressive to watch Oshkosh native Tyrese Haliburton evolve into an NBA superstar, but now he represents a significant obstacle. The guard scored 20.3 points per game this year for Indiana and handed out 10.9 assists per game, leading the league. He turned 24 in February and already has two all-star appearances on his resume.
The Bucks and Pacers have just a teeny bit of history this year
The infamous battle for the game ball after a game in December certainly enflamed tensions between the two teams after some emotional basketball earlier in the season, though the ball wasn’t the centerpiece of the initial dispute.
For those who need a refresher, Antetokounmpo gave a passionate tongue-lashing to Haliburton after the game, initially upset that the Pacers had declined to shake hands in the aftermath of the Bucks win, a game where Antetokounmpo happened to score a franchise-record 64 points.
Alerted to the possibility that the Pacers also left the floor with the game ball, Giannis ran toward the Pacers locker room seeking the memento.
Even after the situation was defused, Antetokounmpo said he didn’t believe he’d been given the correct ball.
It wasn’t just the ball and handshakes, either. Haliburton’s use of the “Dame Time” celebration in the In-Season Tournament perhaps contributed to the dust-up, and the fact that Antetokounmpo checked into the game late while still pursuing the single-game scoring record seemed to sit poorly with the Pacers. Bobby Portis and Aaron Nesmith both received technical fouls in the game, and Portis was ejected.
More: Audio and video from after Bucks game suggests Pacers knew the gravity of taking game ball
More: Whose game ball is it anyway? Social media erupts after Bucks-Pacers postgame tussle
We know now that the correct game ball was in the hands of a Bucks official, but the confusion afterward led to high tensions in the tunnel after the game.
Halburton technically isn’t Indiana’s leading scorer, and there’s some playoff history there
In January, the Pacers acquired Raptors star Pascal Siakam from the struggling Toronto franchise in exchange for three players (including former Buck Jordan Nwora) and future draft picks. Siakam has delivered in his 40 games with the Pacers, averaging 21.1 points per game (even better than Haliburton’s scoring mark) with 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest.
Siakam has shot 38.4% from 3-point range with the Pacers, which would represent by far his best season from 3-point range if that were extrapolated over the full year.
Siakam scored 19 points per game for the Raptors in the 2019 postseason, a championship performance that included a win over the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals. Siakam scored 14.5 points per contest in the Bucks series.
The Pacers are reasonably healthy, except for Bennedict Mathurin
Bennedict Mathurin, the 21-year-old rising star, tore his labrum and was ruled out for the rest of the season in March. He averaged 14.5 points and 4.0 rebounds over 59 games this season and was posting even better numbers after the all-star break before the injury.
This is Indiana’s first time in the playoffs in four years
The Pacers are in a bit of a playoff drought, having missed the postseason each of the last three years. Last year’s team went 35-47, so the jump to 47-35 was quite the flip. The Pacers went to the playoffs five years in a row from 2016-2020 … but lost in the first time each year. The last time Indiana won a playoff series was in 2014, when it appeared in the conference finals for the second year in a row.
The Bucks and Pacers have met twice in the playoffs, in 1999 and 2000. Indiana swept the earlier series, 3-0, and won the next year, 3-2, with a 96-95 outcome in the decisive game. Ervin Johnson didn’t miss a free throw in the final seconds when coach George Karl called for one, and Ray Allen’s 30-foot 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark. Reggie Miller scored 41 points.
T.J. McConnell has a reputation as a Bucks killer
Reserve T.J. McConnell has a bit of a reputation for burning the Bucks, and he comes by it somewhat honestly. His career high in scoring came in 2023 against Milwaukee, a 29-point effort in a 132-119 Bucks win. He also posted his third-best scoring effort against the Bucks in 2021, a 142-133 Bucks win.
McConnell also has 19-point showings against the Bucks, both in 2023, tied for his 10th-highest scoring output. For his career, he averages 8.4 points per game, though it’s up to 10.1 this year in 18.2 minutes per game. All told against Milwaukee, his 9.7 points per game are the most against any team, and he shoots a whopping 48.1% from 3-point range (13 for 27) against the Bucks.
The Pacers are the kings of … pace, which is why they’re the highest-scoring team in the league
Nobody makes more baskets or shoots a better field goal percentage in the NBA this year than the Pacers, adding up to an NBA-best 122.9 points per game. Nobody hands out more assists, and no team allows fewer 3-point shots and attempts on defense.
But there’s a dark side. Indiana also allows 120.3 points per game (28th in the league) and ranks 30th in allowed field-goal percentage.
It all adds up to a team that plays at one of the fastest paces in the league, behind only Washington in that department. The Pacers aren’t going to overwhelm anyone on the glass, but they still take solid care of the basketball, ranking just ahead of the Bucks in turnover percentage with the two at No. 7 and No. 8 in the NBA. This isn’t a team that’s letting the shot clock dip, and they’re going to quickly take advantage of defensive lapses with ball movement.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Hamilton County teen on Friday said he’s excited for his first convention as a voting delegate.
Jackson Massillamany, who just turned 18 and graduated from high school in May, is no stranger to politics. His father, Mario, is the chair of the Hamilton County Republican Party and his mother, Amy, serves on the Hamilton County Council.
Jackson said he signed up to be a delegate at this weekend’s Indiana Republican Party convention in Fort Wayne after Mario asked if he was interested.
“It’s kinda cool to see how this is done and what my dad actually does,” he said. “At first, I wasn’t really excited for it, but I’m here now and I’m having a blast.”
Mario Massillamany, who is a contributor to “All INdiana Politics,” said Jackson is the youngest delegate at the convention. He said he has been taking Jackson along to party functions ever since he was an infant.
“It’s a great opportunity for him to get more active and involved in politics, and I think we need to try and get the younger generations involved in our political process,” he said. “I think this is a great opportunity for him to come here, have a good experience and then go back and talk to his friends about why it’s important to get involved.”
Jackson will be one of 1,800 delegates tasked with picking a nominee for secretary of state. It’s a closely watched race. Current Secretary of State Diego Morales, who is seeking a second term, has faced numerous controversies since he took office. Knox County Clerk David Shelton and conservative activist and 2024 gubernatorial candidate Jamie Reitenour have been running against Morales for months. Last month, Max Engling, a staffer for Sen. Jim Banks and a 2024 congressional candidate, joined the race at the last minute with Banks’ backing.
The Republican winner in November will have to face Bayh family scion Beau Bayh, a Democrat, along with Libertarian Lauri Shillings and, potentially, former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, who is running as an independent under the Lincoln Party label.
Mario said he’s telling Jackson to keep his eyes and ears open and to meet with all of the weekend’s candidates.
Both Massillamanys said the key to getting young people to vote and to get politically involved is to, first, encourage them to register to vote and, second, to elevate more young people who are in politics.
“I feel like many people are scared to be involved in politics because nobody else younger does it,” Jackson said. “So, like, me and other people my age, being able to reach out to others to try and get involved, I feel like, is the best way for people my age to get involved.”
Delegates to the 2026 Indiana Republican Party convention will make their selections on Saturday. Besides secretary of state candidates, they will choose nominees for state treasurer and state comptroller. The current occupants of those offices, Daniel Elliott and Elise Nieshalla, respectively, are running for second terms and are unopposed.
Government reporter Garrett Bergquist will be in Fort Wayne on Saturday and will have a full report on the results of the convention at 6, 10 and 11 p.m. on WISH-TV.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man is dead after a shooting Thursday night on Indy’s near east side, police say.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, just after 8 p.m., officers were called to the 2000 block of East Washington Street on a report of a person shot.
When officers arrived, they found an adult male inside an apartment with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.
Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services transported the man to a hospital in critical condition, where died shortly after arriving.
Homicide detectives responded to the scene to begin the investigation.
Crime Resources
Gov. Mike Braun asked state regulators to reconsider their decision to greenlight a $71 million rate increase for AES Indiana, doubling down on his condemnation of a move that could leave Indianapolis residents with higher electrical bills for years.
Braun wrote in a June 18 news release that he had asked Indiana Utility Counselor Abby Gray, who heads the office representing ratepayers in proceedings before the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, to petition for a rehearing of the AES rate case.
Gray indicated in the release that her office would submit the petition shortly. No petition had been posted on the IURC’s online docket as of this story’s publication.
The rate increase, which was approved by the IURC on June 17, was substantially less than the $192 million increase that AES initially requested. It was also less than the amount proposed in a settlement last October between AES and major electricity consumers.
But the Office of Utility Consumer Counselor, which Gray leads, came out strongly against any increase to AES’s base rates. In September, the OUCC called for a $21 million reduction instead.
As the Republican Party grapples with rising discontent over affordability, Braun has used opposition to rising utility rates to telegraph that he’s committed to keeping costs down for Indiana residents. He signed a law in February that allows the state to make rate-setting decisions that reward or penalize utilities based on metrics including affordability.
In March, he told reporters that he would take on Indiana’s five investor-owned utilities, describing himself as the “new sheriff in town.”
And after the IURC voted 3-1 to approve the AES rate increase, he wrote in a post to X that he was “deeply disappointed.”
Braun wrote in the June 18 news release that he had appointed Gray, a longtime OUCC lawyer and judge, to her current post because he knew she “would help me fight for Hoosiers.”
According to AES’s estimates, the rate increase will cost households an additional $5 per month for every 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity they use, beginning in July. A second hike will take effect in January.
Tilly Robinson is a Pulliam fellow for the Indianapolis Star. She can be reached at tilly.robinson@indystar.com.
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