Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis was ejected from Game 4 of his team's first-round playoff series versus the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night after a scrap with Andrew Nembhard. Portis was given two technical fouls for his actions during the incident, which occurred in the middle of the first quarter. The Bucks would go on to lose, 126-113, and are now down 3-1 in the series.
"It was a tough break for us, no doubt about it," Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. "Doesn't matter how long you're in the league, you can still learn. All of us can. I thought it will probably be a lesson for Bobby and all of us, for our young guys. Playoff games are high emotion, they really are. So, that happened and you can't get it back once it happened."
Just a few minutes into the game, Khris Middleton drove to the basket and drew a foul on Aaron Nesmith. As Middleton's shot went up, Portis and Nembhard got tangled up under the basket. Nembhard initially hooked Portis' arm, and the two traded shoves. Then, Portis re-engaged and hit Nembhard in the head with a sort of open-handed slap.
Bobby Portis has been ejected after a scuffle with Nembhard
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2024
Bucks are now playing without him, Dame, and Giannis 😳 pic.twitter.com/EPP2Yina3G
After everyone had been separated, the referees went to the monitor to review the situation. They assessed each player a technical for the initial shoving match, then gave Portis another technical for his secondary act and ejected him from the game.
Portis, who was a finalist for Sixth Man of the Year this season, had been moved into the starting lineup during this series due to Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury. Though he didn't shoot the ball very well in the first three games, he recorded a double-double in every game and was averaging 15.3 points and 13.3 rebounds.
With Damian Lillard also sidelined on Sunday due to an Achilles injury he suffered in Game 3, the Bucks were planning to rely heavily on Portis in Game 4. Before he left the game, he had already scored four points and put up four shots in seven minutes of action. While the Bucks ended up shooting the ball extremely well in the first half, they ran out of gas after the break, in large part because of Portis' absence.
Despite having cruised to a win in Game 1, the Bucks have lost the three past games, including an overtime heartbreaker in Game 3. A second consecutive first-round exit is now in play as they return home for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
