Milwaukee, WI
Pacers players Jalen Smith and Aaron Nesmith remember past playoff battles with Milwaukee Bucks
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020 as a franchise, but much of the roster been there before. Multiple players have reached the postseason with other franchises before, and their experience will be valuable for a younger Pacers squad.
Two of those players, Aaron Nesmith and Jalen Smith, have specific prior postseason experiences that could be valuable for Indiana this year. They battled the Milwaukee Bucks in a series recently — for Smith, it was during the NBA Finals in 2021 when he was with the Phoenix Suns. For Nesmith, it was the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2022 while he was a member of the Boston Celtics.
While a lot has changed for the Bucks, much is the same. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middlteon, Brook Lopez, Pat Connaughton, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Bobby Portis remain for the Milwaukee group that won an NBA Championship three years ago, and five of those players still get significant playing time for the team to this day. While other players, including some stars, have come in and changed the roster in a major way — and the Bucks have made two coaching changes, too — they do have a roster filled with continuity. And now, they’ll face the Pacers in the first round.
“Yes and no,” Smith said of what he remembers about the series he played against the Bucks. “I try to say no because I lost, so I try to forget it. But at the end of the day, I understand the game plan that we had.”
Smith didn’t play at all in that series. He was a rookie for the Suns, and Phoenix didn’t want to rely on him in the postseason. But he was still a part of the preparation against Antetokounmpo and company. He has experience with a battle against Milwaukee.
“They’ve got a lot of shooters around Giannis now,” Smith said of what is different about the Bucks in 2024 compared to 2021. They’ve added Malik Beasley and Damian Lillard, among others, who can bury outside shots.
Phoenix was up 2-0 in that series before losing four in a row to drop the best-of-seven. The Bucks got the best of Smith and the Suns. But in the following season, Nesmith and the Celtics got their shot at Milwaukee in the postseason and had different fortunes.
Boston had an intense, seven-game battle with the Bucks the year after Milwaukee’s title run. Nesmith, who was in his second season at the time, was largely out of the rotation, but he did make an appearance in four games during that series.
“It’s a different team, different coaching staff, different play style. It’s a brand new series, brand new team,” Nesmith said of playing the Bucks now compared to a few years ago. “We’re going to look at it with a great opportunity.” He had three points and four rebounds in the 2022 series while shooting 50% from the field.
The Celtics won the best-of-seven before reaching the NBA Finals. Nesmith, like Smith, learned a lot about playoff preparation from that run, and both young players are better now thanks to their past experiences.
Now, they are both in the Pacers playing rotation, so their involvement in the upcoming postseason will be much different. They both acknowledged that it does feel different to get ready for a playoff series in which playing time is clearly coming.
“I’m super excited, super pumped. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Nesmith said of the upcoming set with the Bucks. He’s preparing differently day-to-day now since he has a bigger role that he did with Boston. But he still learned a lot with the Celtics. “I’m familiar with the prep and how detail-oriented you have to be about everything,” Nesmith said, noting that small things matter.
Smith shared similar sentiments on Wednesday. “I got the mental aspect and how crucial each game is,” he shared of his experience with the Suns. Now, he’s the Pacers backup center and will be a key reserve behind Myles Turner against Miwlaukee.
“Just being ready and being prepared mentally just to go out there and compete,” Smith said.
Both players have similar career arcs in that they were traded to Indiana after being a deep reserve lottery pick in their first NBA stop. With the Pacers, Smith and Nesmith both took advantage of bigger opportunities and are key parts of the team’s rotation. The blue and gold went through some development years that benefitted the pair, but now those two are ready for a postseason series as contributors.
Their prior experiences against the Bucks will be valuable. They’ve seen Milwaukee up close, and on the biggest stage. Their opponent has a different look and feel now, but so do Nesmith and Smith. They’ll be ready for more responsibilities in this series.
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Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent talks about youth gun violence
Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has worked in Minneapolis, Memphis and Boston. She says she has never seen gun violence so bad.
A Milwaukee teenager convicted of killing two St. Anthony High School students will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Circuit Judge Laura Crivello handed down the life sentence for Moses Martinez on Nov. 14. Martinez filed papers that same day signaling his intent to appeal the conviction, online court records show.
Martinez was 17 when prosecutors say he fatally shot Diego Herrera-Mejia, 16, and Isaac Rodriguez, 15, on the 800 block of West Manitoba Street on June 15, 2024.
In August, a jury found Martinez, now 18, guilty of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless injury and fleeing police.
The state dismissed charges of driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent and misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor.
Here’s what prosecutors say happened to Diego Herrera-Mejia and Isaac Rodriguez
Family members told police investigators the two teens were walking with a few friends and cousins on Manitoba Street when “some guys on a scooter” came up to them and tried to provoke them.
A third person, a 14-year-old girl, also was shot, but survived the attack.
Martinez was arrested two months after the shooting.
Diego and Isaac, friends since middle school, were set to begin their sophomore year together in the fall at St. Anthony, on Milwaukee’s south side.
According to a criminal complaint, a 14-year-old girl told police she was part of a group that was walking away from a party when two teens approached on a scooter.
At some point, one of the two teens pulled out a gun and started shooting at the group, hitting Diego and Isaac, the complaint says. The girl also was injured by gunfire but survived.
Why was this case important?
Martinez’s trial offered the latest evidence of Milwaukee’s ongoing struggle with a swell of juvenile crime involving guns and homicides.
There have been 128 homicides reported in the city of Milwaukee in 2025 as of Nov. 13. During the same period in 2024, the year Diego and Isaac were killed, there were 117 killings reported in the city, according to Milwaukee police statistics.
There have been 20 homicides reported in Milwaukee since January involving victims 17 and younger, compared with 17 during all of 2024, department statistics say.
In 2023, there were 16 child homicides reported in the city.
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@gannett.com.
Courtesy: Milwaukee Admirals
MILWAUKEE – Admirals netminder Ethan Haider made life “ruff” for the Stars as Milwaukee got back on the winning track with a 3-1 victory over Texas on Saturday night – the team’s first Sendik’s Dog Day of the season.
By the numbers:
Texas took an early 1-0 lead as Kole Lind scored on their first shot of the game 1:16 into the opening period, but that was all the Stars would get as Haider backboned the Ads defense, turning aside the next 22 shots and helping to kill off all four Texas power-plays.
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Haider stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced to pick up his first AHL win.
The Admirals would score the game’s final three goals beginning with Reid Schaefer’s first of the season at 11:04 of the first. Ryan Ufko carried the puck from the top of the right circle around the Texas net and had his wrap-around attempt denied by netminder Ben Kraws, but Schaefer pounced on the rebound and scored into an open net.
Jordan Oesterle’s seeing-eyed shot from the left point with less than two minutes to go in the first found its way through traffic and over the shoulder of Kraws to give the Admirals the lead at 2-1.
Jake Lucchini’s second goal of the week and third of the season at 6:59 of the second period gave the Ads some insurance. The play started when Milwaukee came 3-on-3 into the Texas zone and Cole O’Hara left a drop pass for Lucchini, and he ripped it blocker-side for a 3-1 advantage.
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Schaefer and Oesterle each finished with a goal and an assist in the contest to pace the offense and help Milwaukee to their eighth win in their first 12 games of the season.
What’s next:
The Admirals are back in action with a pair of games next weekend in Henderson against the Silver Knights. Their next home game is against Iowa on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m.
The Source: The Milwaukee Admirals provided this report.
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