Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton downplayed his controversial skirmish with the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday.
Tyrese Haliburton cleared the air on his confrontation with Giannis Antetokounmpo after the Bucks' 140-126 win, per Bally Sports Indiana's Jeremiah Johnson.
Tyrese Haliburton talking with @DustinDopirak and @AschNBA after the Misunderstanding in Milwaukee. pic.twitter.com/GkoFZMrZRc
— Jeremiah Johnson (@PacersJJ) December 14, 2023
“Yeah, from my understanding there was a misunderstanding after the game. For some reason, he wanted to confront me. I was just staying out there. But yeah, I mean, like I said, we beat them twice so they came out with some fire today,” Tyrese Haliburton told reporters in the locker room.
“They took care of business. They're a great team. They do what they had to do today…and just competing out there today,” he added.
“Some high emotions, lots of testosterone going around out there. Like I said, just competitors competing at the end of the day,” Tyrese Haliburton concluded.
The Pacers vs. Bucks brewing rivalry
The third Pacers-Bucks game of the season was a heated one, to say the least.
Sparks flew after Indiana forward Aaron Nesmith's fourth-quarter takedown of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Officials promptly slapped Nesmith with a type 1 flagrant foul.
The Greek Freak's two free throws set off a Bucks' run that put the game out of reach. Clearly, it was the game's turning point.
Tempers flared and emotions ran high in the second half. Both Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis wanted a piece of Aaron Nesmith after the takedown.
It's apparent two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo loves playing against the Pacers. He scored 54 points in Indiana's 126-124 win on November 9. Giannis scored 37 points in the Bucks' 128-119 loss to the Pacers in last week's NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal.
Giannis Antetokounmpo torched Indiana for a new career-high 64 points on Wednesday. Did he go off on Tyrese Haliburton because of the latter's “Dame Time” celly last week? We'll never know for sure.
Here's what we know: there's bad blood brewing between the Pacers and Bucks. These two teams will make headlines again if they cross paths in the playoffs.
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