Milwaukee, WI
Indiana Pacers offense wasn’t ready for the moment in Game 5 vs Milwaukee Bucks
MILWAUKEE — Entering Tuesday, the Indiana Pacers were up 3-1 in their first-round series with the Milwaukee Bucks and staring at the end of a possible five-game set. They had won three-straight outings in the series and had momentum — they took care of business on their home court, pulled out a dramatic win in Game 3, and had gotten excellent play from one or more of their big three in every game so far in the best-of-seven.
It was natural to think that Indiana could win Game 5 despite it being a road battle — they already won in Milwaukee during Game 2 — and it felt even more plausible when it was revealed that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were both out for the Bucks. With two stars sidelined, the Pacers were considered by many to be the favorites.
Instead, it was Milwaukee who ran away with things. Despite Indiana jumping out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter, the Bucks were ahead at halftime, and their lead reached 20+ in the third quarter. The Pacers never had enough fight in them to get back in the game after their great start, and they tossed away their first chance to secure the series victory.
“Sure, yeah,” Pacers center Myles Turner said after the game when asked if it felt like a missed opportunity. “I think that we’re embracing the challenge that’s coming with us. I think that going back to Indy, I think it will be a good setting for us.”
Indiana didn’t look like themselves after the first 12 minutes of play. After making seven three-point shots in the first quarter, they made just five in the rest of the game. That was both due to poor shooting and an inability to create the same quality of looks they did in the opening frame — their attempt rate from deep fell, too.
The Pacers paired that with just 42 points in the paint, a lower number for the blue and gold. In the regular season, they very often climbed past that number, though they have struggled to do so in the postseason through five games.
“We just got stagnant,” Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton said of his team’s offensive performance. “Stopped making shots, stopped playing our brand of basketball.”
In Haliburton’s eyes, the Bucks controlled the pace. When the Pacers have to take the ball out of the net all night, they can’t run and play in transition as often, and they finished this game with just five fast break points, their fewest in the series so far.
Indiana’s bad defense bled into their offense in that way. They conceded 115 points, their most in regulation during the best-of-seven set so far. Milwaukee did well to get to their spots and finish plays with Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis leading the way.
On top of their tempo and defensive struggles, the Pacers stagnated offensively due to the Bucks defensive adjustments. Milwaukee changed their defensive matchups, putting starting center Brook Lopez on Aaron Nesmith and sticking Middleton on Turner. That disrupted the Pacers flow and forced them to think, and they played slower as a result. They rarely got into their second or third actions throughout the night.
The Bucks were switching more often defensively, and they relied on their veterans more often in this game. Pick-and-rolls were less effective as a result. Indiana never figured out a consistent way to break down what the third-seeded Bucks were doing, and it cost them.
“They picked up their intensity,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of the Bucks and their better play. He thinks this series has been about defense. “Having them get to 115… our defense needed to be better.”
In the end, the blue and gold had their worst offensive and defensive game of the series, at least numerically. They rarely got going from deep, couldn’t get into the paint, and struggled with the Bucks new look on defense. That combination crushed Indiana and led to their second defeat in the series.
“I think we settled,” Turner said of his team’s offense. He pointed to their lower-than-usual assist number as evidence that they strayed from their typical play style. “We kind of got away from ourselves.”
Throughout the series, adjustments and focus have been key for the Pacers. They were unfocused early in Game 1, and it cost them. Their inability to adjust and recalibrate during Game 5 was equally punishing. They still have two more chances to close out the series, but they came up short in their first opportunity. The team has to find their identity again while adjusting to Milwaukee’s switch-heavy style.
“I think, more than anything, you have to embrace what’s in front of you… I think we’re definitely looking forward to the challenge,” Turner said of the upcoming task at hand.
Game 6 is on Thursday night in Indianapolis. To get a win and close out the series, the Pacers need to play more like the Pacers and find a way to get their offense going.
- Adjustments and focus were key for Indiana Pacers in Game 4. They will be even more vital the rest of the series. CLICK HERE.
- Myles Turner has his best career playoff game for Indiana Pacers as film time and maturity mesh.CLICK HERE.
- Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers delivered a moment fans waited five years to see. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers survive massive Milwaukee Bucks comeback for overtime win in Game 3. CLICK HERE.
- Follow AllPacers on Facebook: All Pacers SI
- Follow AllPacers on Twitter: @SIPacers
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.
In court
What we know:
A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.
Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.
Homicide investigation
The backstory:
The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.
“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.
Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.
Brice Turang slides to home plate to score during a game between the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MIAMI – Garrett Mitchell went 2 for 4 with three RBIs including a two-run double in the 10th inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 on Friday night.
By the numbers:
Miami’s Calvin Faucher (1-2) entered a 4-all game in the 10th and walked Gary Sánchez with Brice Turang on second. Jake Bauers hit a single to load the bases.
Check out the new and improved FOX Sports app
Luis Rengifo reached first on a throwing error by second baseman Xavier Edwards, allowing Turang to score. Mitchell followed with his double.
The Marlins scored one run in the bottom of the 10th when Jakob Marsee came home on Trevor Megill’s wild pitch. Megill settled in for his fourth save.
Coleman Crow, who made his debut on the mound for the Brewers, threw 77 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. He threw four strikeouts, gave up two earned runs and a walk.
The right-hander was 2-0 with a 4.07 ERA in two starts with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. He missed part of the 2023 season and all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Brewers scored three runs in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Mitchell hit an RBI single, Bauers scored on a forceout at first and Rengifo scored on a throwing error by catcher Agustín Ramírez.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
Miami’s Otto Lopez hit a triple to center field in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Owen Caissie. Lopez hit a two-run homer in the sixth to pull Miami within 4-3 and Ramírez doubled in the eighth to tie the game at four.
Abner Uribe (1-0) earned his first win of the season, coming on in the ninth inning.
Marlins third baseman Graham Pauley left the game in the seventh inning with right oblique discomfort after spinning out of the way of a pitch.
What’s next:
The Brewers and Marlins continue their 3-game series on Saturday, with Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 4.36 ERA) taking the mound for Milwaukee and Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 2.67) for Miami.
The Source: The Associated Press provided this report.
Michigan wins the national championship over UConn
Michigan beats UConn to win the national championship and we break down how they did it and where both programs go from here.
Loyalty is a word you rarely hear anymore when it comes to college sports.
Amare Hereford is an exception.
The night before he was able to put pen to paper and make his commitment to the UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball team official earlier this week, the Beloit Memorial standout was invited for an on-campus visit with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Hereford did his due diligence. What player wouldn’t have in his position?
“Me being an 18-year-old kid, my first high major [visit], I just decided to go check it out,” Hereford said.
UW put on the full-court press in an attempt to lock down the Wisconsin “Mr. Basketball” finalist.
“They offered me a scholarship,” Hereford said. “It all happened so fast. It was all within a day.”
Hereford went home, processed the situation with his family and came to a decision.
He would honor his commitment to the Panthers, with his signature cementing the deal and UWM announcing the news Thursday, April 16.
“No, it wasn’t really hard to turn down,” Hereford said, referring to UW’s offer. “I love every school and I appreciate every school that reaches out to me. But I’m going to choose a school that I have a great relationship with, with all the coaching staff, and that’s been thinking highly of me and recruited me for the longest time. And that was the Panthers.
“Wisconsin is a great school, of course. But I’m going to the school that has been with me for the longest time.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Hereford is a huge addition for a Panthers squad that, like so many other programs due to transfer portal madness, is in the midst of rebuilding its roster for the 2026-2027 season almost from scratch.
“Amare will be a star here at Milwaukee,” coach Bart Lundy said. “He will be a fan favorite from the beginning. He is a complete basketball player but probably has as good of an ability to score as I’ve seen in any high school player. He is a great student and a great worker and completely fits our culture.
“We are so excited that he will represent the city of Milwaukee and the state and especially his hometown of Beloit.”
Indeed, Hereford put the ball through the net for Beloit Memorial at a prodigious rate, averaging 37.5 points per game – tops in the state – as a senior. He finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,493 points in four years.
Hereford also poured in 49 points in his final high school game, a WIAA sectional semifinal loss to Verona last month.
Hereford was tough to guard going to the basket as his 60.7% shooting this past season indicates, but he also shot a terrific 45% from from 3-point range (81 for 180) and capitalized on all the contact he drew to the tune of 83% accuracy at the free-throw line.
More than just a scorer, though, Hereford also finished with team-leading averages of 8.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.9 steals per game.
“My playing style fits the way [the Panthers] play – they get up and down, play fast,” Hereford said. “Coach Lundy said he definitely sees me running [point guard], having the ball in my hands, playing the same way I did in high school, finding teammates, getting to the rim and scoring at all three levels.”
Defense is typically where newcomers experience the biggest growing pains, learning the all-out effort it takes to guard at a high level on every possession.
Hereford, however, indicates he’s more than just a scorer.
“I love playing defense,” he said. “Hitting the gaps, getting steals and different things like that, being active with my hands a lot. I’m definitely looking forward to getting pushed defensively and picking up the ball full court, on-ball pressure in the half court.”
Hereford took his visit to UWM in mid-March, after the season had been completed, but saw enough games on TV to cement his opinion of the challenge ahead.
“The Horizon League is amazing,” he said. “There’s a lot of guards who play the same way I play, like to get up and down, play fast. That’s why I love Coach Lundy and the Panthers and the rest of the staff. They let guys be themselves. They play fast, get up and down, play together as one.
“They let everybody touch the ball and be themselves.”
Before Wisconsin entered the picture, Hereford said he’d narrowed his school choices to UWM and San Diego, where Whitefish Bay Dominican product and former Iowa State assistant JR Blount has taken over as head coach.
Now, Hereford projects as an important piece in the Panthers’ rebuilding process.
“Coach Lundy and the staff, they believe in me heavy. And I just want to prove them right,” Hereford said. “I want them to see that I can come in and make a huge impact right away for the team and in the Horizon League.
“I’m definitely going to come in and compete for my minutes. And obviously, I want to stay there.
“So, definitely looking forward to coming in and earning my spot.”
-
Alabama3 minutes agoYMCA of South Alabama holds Healthy Kids Day in Spanish Fort
-
Alaska9 minutes ago
Bear injures two US soldiers during military training in Alaska | The Jerusalem Post
-
Arizona15 minutes agoNFL mock draft: 4-round projections for Arizona Cardinals
-
Arkansas21 minutes agoNo. 6 Arkansas ends top-ranked OU’s 31-game home winning streak with 3-2 decision
-
California27 minutes ago
Billionaire Steyer’s spending binge dwarfs rival campaigns in California governor’s race
-
Colorado33 minutes agoLandeskog – April 18 | Colorado Avalanche
-
Connecticut39 minutes agoOvernight Forecast for April 19
-
Delaware45 minutes agoState Police Arrest Dover Man for Assault and Aggravated Menacing in Dover – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware
