The Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers met at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN on Tuesday night in both teams’ preseason finale, a last tune-up before the games start to count. It was the final step for a Bucks group trying to settle a roster that still looks new, and for a Pacers team trying to see where its depth stands with Tyrese Haliburton back in the picture.
The matchup came with the Bucks at 1-3 in preseason play after a blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls, a reminder of how much work remains for a club that is still building cohesion. Indiana entered at 1-2 after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves, then falling to the Atlanta Hawks by two points and losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime by two points. Those results gave the night a simple frame: one last preseason game, and one more chance to sort out what is ready for opening night.
For the Pacers, the final stretch has been about more than one game. Last season, they won just 19 games while Haliburton recovered from a torn Achilles, and this preseason has started to show a different team. Haliburton posted 24 points and three assists in 18 minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a sharp reminder of how much changes when he is on the floor. The Pacers were also described as deep again after reaching the NBA Finals less than a year and a half ago, with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Larry Nance Jr. among the additions that have helped fill out the group.
The Bucks, meanwhile, have been trying to make a new roster fit together fast. Eleven of their 19 rostered players were not with the team at the start of last season, and the preseason showed the growing pains that come with that kind of turnover. Milwaukee attempted 45 three-pointers per game and shot 30.6% from deep, numbers that point to a team still searching for rhythm from the outside. The expectation going into the night was that the Bucks would need to get closer to 40% from three and pile up 20 or more makes to look like a finished product.
That is why the preseason finale mattered more than the record attached to it. The Bucks needed evidence that their identity can hold together once the rotation tightens, and the Pacers needed another look at a deeper roster that now has Haliburton driving it again. The regular season is next, and this game was the last clear checkpoint before both teams move from evaluation to results.
