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NBA: Milwaukee Bucks Clinch Playoff Berth As Western Conference Battle Tightens | Sports News – News18

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NBA: Milwaukee Bucks Clinch Playoff Berth As Western Conference Battle Tightens | Sports News – News18


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Milwaukee Bucks clinched a playoff berth as the No. 5 spot from the Eastern Conference.

Milwaukee Bucks clinched the last NBA’s Eastern Conference’s automatic playoff spot (AP)

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched the last remaining automatic playoff place from the NBA‘s Eastern Conference on Saturday, before warming up for the postseason with a 121-115 overtime victory over the Miami Heat.

The Bucks had been assured of their ninth consecutive playoff appearance following the Atlanta Hawks’ 121-105 defeat to the New York Knicks earlier in the day.

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The loss meant the Hawks could no longer mathematically force their way into the playoff spots and will now have to enter the four-team play-in tournament which will determine the final two postseason berths from the East.

That took the pressure off the Bucks in their road game against Miami, but they nevertheless produced a gritty performance to take down the Heat in overtime.

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double, while Kevin Porter Jr. added 24 from the bench.

Bam Adebayo led Miami’s scoring with 31 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. The Heat will enter the play-in tournament alongside Chicago, Atlanta and Orlando.

While the race for top six positions in the Eastern Conference is now complete, the battle in the Western Conference remains on a knife-edge with six teams locked in a neck-and-neck battle to secure the four remaining slots behind already-qualified Oklahoma City and second-placed Houston.

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With the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors both winning on Friday, the race tightened further on Saturday with the sixth-placed Memphis Grizzlies (46-32) and seventh-placed Minnesota Timberwolves (46-32) grabbing vital wins.

The Grizzlies dug deep to defeat the Detroit Pistons 109-103 on the road, with Desmond Bane pouring in 38 points with seven rebounds and three assists.

Jaren Jackson Jr. added 27 points while center Zach Edey had a huge defensive performance with 21 rebounds.

Detroit star Cade Cunningham led the Pistons scoring with 25 points.

In Philadelphia, the Timberwolves remained firmly in the Western Conference playoff hunt by defeating the depleted 76ers 114-109.

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Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 37 points while defensive linch pin Rudy Gobert had 23 points, 19 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was unhappy with his team’s performance, but singled out France star Gobert for praise in helping the team close out victory.

“(Gobert) refuses to let us lose on nights like this when you can argue that we probably should have,” Finch said.

“All credit to him. We highlighted his performance in the locker room — we need more guys playing with that intentionality.

“We had a bunch of guys who didn’t play well today and the energy goes down around that. Our offense is sputtering. We gotta make more energy plays, get guys going.”

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee shooting near 12th and Locust; 20-year-old wounded

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Milwaukee shooting near 12th and Locust; 20-year-old wounded


Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)

Milwaukee police say a 20-year-old was shot and wounded near 12th and Locust on Tuesday, April 14. 

12th and Locust

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What we know:

Officials said the shooting happened around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment. 

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Milwaukee police are seeking an unknown shooter.

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What you can do:

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Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or the P3 Tips App.

The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Police Department.

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Milwaukee Wave makes another dramatic comeback to reach MASL finals

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Milwaukee Wave makes another dramatic comeback to reach MASL finals


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  • The Milwaukee Wave advanced to the Major Arena Soccer League championship after defeating the Baltimore Blast.
  • Milwaukee won Game 2 of the series 5-4 and then secured the series win with a 2-1 victory in a 15-minute knockout game.
  • Veteran Andre Hayne scored the decisive goal with 55 seconds left in the knockout game.

The Milwaukee Wave performed MASL playoff magic for the second time April 13, coming back after losing the first game of a playoff series to advance.

Now the team with seven arena soccer titles will play for an eighth, having knocked off the Baltimore Blast with victories of 5-4 in Game 2 and 2-1 in the 15-minute knockout game that followed at the UWM Panther Arena.

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Venezuelan rookie forward Oscar Flores scored two goals in the first victory, the first to tie the game at 3-3 late in the third quarter and then the clincher midway through the fourth. On Flores’ final goal, he picked up a ball bounced hard off the boards by defender Stuart Grable and directed it in behind his back with his right heel.

Baltimore scored 32 seconds into the knockout game, but Wave rookie goalkeeper Gerardo Perez came forward and tied the game with a rebound goal six minutes later. That set the stage for veteran forward Andre Hayne, who took a pass from Ian Bennett and pounded it home with 55 seconds left.

The Wave, under first-year head coach Marcio Leite, won its quarterfinal series with the Empire Strykers in similar fashion, losing the first game before winning 60- and 15-minute games in one night.

Milwaukee won’t know its opponent until April 19th, when the St. Louis Ambush and San Diego Sockers play the second and possibly third game of their semifinal series.



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Milwaukee Public Schools plans to add 150 staff to classrooms

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Milwaukee Public Schools plans to add 150 staff to classrooms


Milwaukee Public Schools plans to add about 150 teachers and paraprofessionals to classrooms next school year. 

The positions were announced Monday, one month after MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said she planned to cut about 200 non-classroom staff positions. 

Cassellius said external audits of the district and meetings last summer with parents both highlighted heavy staffing at central office and less resources going into classrooms. 

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“I can see with my own eyes how hard it is with so many students in the classroom,” Cassellius said.  “So obviously, with 91 percent of our students not reading on grade level at fourth grade, it is essential that we give our kids a fighting chance where teachers have a reasonable amount of students to teach to read.”

MPS is planning to add 89 licensed classroom teachers, bringing the total number of teaching staff from 3,903 to 3,992, and 63 paraprofessionals to its schools. They will also add five school psychologists. 

The plan is estimated to cost $24.6 million and will be included in the 2026-27 draft budget. 

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“Lowering class size is a very strategic move in order to rebalance the district and be responsible with our finances,” Cassellius said. “But it’s also a very important academic decision for us as we meet the needs and listen to teachers and try to make sure that they have what they need so they can be successful in teaching our children to read.”

The investment in staffing comes as MPS works to close a $46 million deficit identified in the district’s 2024–25 budget by external auditors. 

To address the budget deficit and rising costs, MPS is identifying savings wherever possible.

Some of the savings include $30 million from reductions in Central Services and non-classroom positions; $11 million in increased state special education reimbursement funding and $40 million in savings from fewer charter schools. The district also has $47 million in new referendum revenue.

At the same time, MPS anticipates approximately $154 million to $171 million in new expenses, including covering increases in healthcare benefit costs and raises for employees.

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Of the 200 positions being eliminated by MPS, 59 are assistant principal positions and 62 “implementer positions,” or educators who have a teaching license but who are not assigned to one classroom. 

Cassellius said all of the people who received “excess letters” can reapply for teaching positions.



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