The Indiana Pacers took care of business on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks in the first phase of the two teams’ playoff series, earning a split to head back to Indiana with the series tied 1-1.
Unfortunately, the first leg of the series didn’t come without some off-the-court headaches.
The brother of Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was allegedly called the N-word by a fan during Game 1 of the series.
Tyrese Haliburton says his little brother was called the n-word in the stands during Game 1. It didn't sit well with him and his family, and they had to talk through it.
— Tony East (@TonyREast) April 24, 2024
Building security was reportedly notified of the incident, but the fan wasn’t removed from the game.
Per league source, building security was notified of the incident involving Tyrese's brother, but the fan was not removed from the game.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) April 24, 2024
A Bucks team spokesperson released a statement.
From a Bucks team spokesperson regarding the incident raised by Haliburton: "An arena guest services representative reported that during Sunday’s game a few guests were not sitting in their correct seats. The guest services representative asked the group to move one section …
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) April 24, 2024
over to their correct seats. Then, one of the individuals in the group claimed to the representative that a person sitting in front of him had used a derogatory term toward him. The accused person denied the accusation. …
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) April 24, 2024
The group moved to their correct seats and no further incident was reported. We take our fan environment extremely seriously and are committed to providing a safe and secure experience."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) April 24, 2024
Haliburton spoke about the situation after Game 2.
“My little brother in the stands the other day was called the N-word,” Haliburton said. “It was important for us as a family to just address that. And that was important for us to talk about because that just didn’t sit right with anybody in our family. It’s just been important to have my family here right now. My little brother has handled that the right way.”
It’s certainly an ugly situation, and one can only hope that nothing similar unfolds during the remainder of the NBA postseason.
The Pacers dropped Game 1 — when the alleged indecent occurred — to the Bucks by a final score of 109-94. Haliburton had a quiet performance in that one, finishing with just nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
In Game 2, his impact as a scorer remained limited, but he finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 assists. Major contributions from others up and down the lineup helped the Pacers earn a 125-108 win to steal home-court advantage away from the Bucks for now.
The next two games will take place in Indiana, where Haliburton’s brother hopefully won’t have to worry about being targeted.
The Pacers star certainly appears ready to play in front of Indiana’s home fans once again.
"We've had regular season crowds better than what we've played in the last two games." 🍿
Tyrese Haliburton is looking forward to Game 3 in Indy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/X1eYur62Mi
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 24, 2024
The Pacers have a golden opportunity in front of them to take control of the series. If they can win Games 3 and 4 at home, they’ll find themselves up 3-1 on the Bucks with numerous opportunities to shut the door.
Milwaukee took a stunning first-round exit from the playoffs last season and is looking to avoid a similar outcome this season, but Indiana would love nothing more than to send the Bucks packing.
Game 3 of the series will take place on Friday, and Game 4 will take place on Sunday. By the end of the week, the series could look very different.
