Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle believes Bobby Portis’ ejection from the Milwaukee Bucks had a massive impact on Game 4 of their NBA Playoffs series.
Portis played for just seven minutes during Sunday’s contest after an altercation forced the referees to kick him out of the game.
Bobby Portis’ Milwaukee Bucks Ejection
For those who missed it, midway through the first quarter of Game 4 between the Bucks and Pacers, Portis got into a heated shoving match with Andrew Nembhard after both players got entangled while positioning for a rebound.
Nembhard seemed to instigate the matter when he locked Portis’ arm and swung it in a dangerous way. Portis obviously didn’t like it and the two got into it. Portis appeared to punch (or slap) Nembhard, resulting for him to get ejected.
Portis finished the night with four points and three rebounds. He could have been a huge factor for the Bucks, who were already without the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Nonetheless, he chose the worst timing to let his emotions get the best of him.
With that said, several fans were mad at Portis for his actions. He should have known better that the Pacers would be physical and try to get into their heads. But instead of trying to help the Bucks, he made things uglier for them.
Milwaukee fought hard with Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez leading the way, but in the end, they were just overmatched with three of their best players out. Indiana took the 126-113 win to jump to a 3-1 lead in the series.
Indiana Pacers’ Rick Carlisle Speaks Out
After the game, Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle refused to go into detail about the incident with Milwaukee Bucks big man Bobby Portis. However, he did share some of his thoughts about it and how it affected the contest.
“It ramped up the intensity of the overall game. It didn’t make the game any easier in my mind. I think Portis is a very underrated player. Credit to them, when they lost one of their weapons, they kept their level high. It was a three-point game at halftime and a lot of continued work in the second half to get the win,” Carlisle shared via the the team’s website.
“I didn’t see a replay of what happened or anything, so I don’t know anything other than what the officials told me right afterwards.”
While it certainly brought more edge to the game, the Bucks are probably wishing he stayed in the game rather than leave early. After all, with the level they played at, there could have been a chance that they would have won the battle.
Hopefully in Game 5, Portis will be able to stay on the court until the final buzzer.
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