Report: Fan who allegedly called Tyrese Haliburton’s brother N-word wasn’t removed from Bucks arena

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.

Building security was reportedly notified of the incident, but the fan wasn’t removed from the game.

A Bucks team spokesperson released a statement.

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.

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.