Already two-star Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr. was thrown off himself in the first quarter of Sunday’s 126-113 Game 4 loss to the Pacers.
After the whistle, Portis mixed it up with Andrew Nembhard under the basket and the two ended up shoving each other before being separated during the Eastern Conference first round series at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. .
The two tangled, and then Nembhard appeared to shove Portis first, but with 5:01 left in the first quarter, Portis retaliated by shoving him, hitting Nembhard in the head.
At the time of the incident, the Bucks were losing 17-16 to the Pacers.
The first quarter ended with Milwaukee and Indiana tied at 33 points.
Portis punched Nembhard above the neck and was sent to the locker room that night, but Nembhard was given only one technical.
Portis played all seven minutes before the toss, scoring four points on 2-of-4 shooting.
“That obviously hurt us, there’s no question about that,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said after the game. “I think we wanted him to stay there. But I haven’t seen the play, so I don’t really comment. … It was a tough vacation for us.”
He previously averaged 15.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game during the Bucks’ playoff run.
After the altercation, Pacers fans could be heard yelling, “Bobby sucks.”
Losing Portis wasn’t necessary for the Bucks, who lead the series 2-1, as they were already handicapped by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard being sidelined with injuries.
Lillard, who averaged 32.3 points, 5.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the first round of the playoffs, is dealing with Achilles issues.
Antetokounmpo has been out of action since April 9th when he injured his left calf.
Head coach Doc Rivers hasn’t ruled out the Bucks superstar returning later in the series.
“I think he has a chance to play in this series, I really do,” Rivers said. Per ESPN.
