Tensions seem to have reached their high point during the recently concluded Game 4 between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks roster was playing without the presence of its two leading scorers, and the last thing that they needed was to have another of their players become unavailable during the game. However, the same could not be prevented after Bobby Portis Jr. got into a physical altercation with Andrew Nembhard. The action resulted in the Bucks’s power forward getting ejected from the first half itself after just 7 minutes of playtime.

During the post-game press conference, small forward Khris Middleton addressed the altercation that his teammate had on the court. When a reporter called out Portis Jr. as an “emotional player” and highlighted how he’s often “on the edge,”  Middleton seemed to agree with the analogy.

“I think, you know, emotions got the best of him in this situation,” said Middleton. “For the most part of the year, he’s done a great job …. flirting with that line and not crossing over. Tonight, you know, it just crossed over at the worst time for us”.

The incident occurred when Khris Middleton was attempting to make a shot but was blocked by the opposition. Nembhard’s arm was around Bobby Portis Jr. to prevent him from getting the rebound. The latter did not take too kindly to the action, and proceeded to push the player. A physical exchange of hands starting taking place on the sidelines. As the crowd let out some audible gasps and the referee continued blowing his whistle, it didn’t take long for players from both sides to quickly approach and break up the duo. Portis Jr. was ejected, while Nembhard continued playing and proceeded to drop 15 points during his 38 minutes on the court.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the two leading scorers for the Milwaukee Bucks, were both declared out from the recent matchup in light of their serious injuries. Therefore, the pressure to do well fell upon Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis, the next two highest average scorers of the roster. Once the latter was removed from the court, Middleton worked alongside Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley to create a momentum. Despite the trio’s best efforts, the Pacers ended up recording their third consecutive playoff win by a score of 126-113.

Doc Rivers states that the ejection will be a “lesson” for Bobby Portis Jr.

Khris Middleton wasn’t the only member of the Bucks roster who spoke out on the power forward’s ejection. Head Coach Doc Rivers also made his voice heard during the post-game press conference. He proceeded to state that the incident happened too quickly for him to fully process. While he maintained that he still isn’t fully aware of the situation, he does believe that Portis Jr’s ejection hurt the team.

“It was a tough break for us, no doubt about it,” said Rivers. “It don’t matter how long you are in the league, you still learn. It will probably be a lesson for Bobby and all of us, for all the young guys. Playoffs games are high emotion”.

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