Tyrese Haliburton’s father, John Haliburton, will stay away from Indiana Pacers games for the foreseeable future, the team announced.

This decision was made following an incident between John Haliburton and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo after game five of the team’s first round series. Haliburton ran up to Antetokounmpo and started showboating, leading to the two getting into a screaming match.

Antetokounmpo called the exchange “disrespectful.”

John apologized for his actions on social media, writing, “I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game.”

Tyrese agreed that his father was out of line.

“He needs to just allow me to play basketball and stay over there, and I’ll come to him to celebrate,” Haliburton said. “I don’t think my pops was in the right at all there.”

The Pacers advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, defeating the Bucks 4-1. Game five ended on a Haliburton game-winning layup.

The Pacers will play the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. The Cavs are coming off a sweep of the Miami Heat, in a series that statistically was the most lopsided in NBA playoff history.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic said Wednesday that he intends to play for the Slovenian national team at the 2024 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament this summer. Though he is monitoring a nagging knee ailment, he claimed that it would be the only thing that could keep him from competing.

“Yeah, I think we’ll see how my knee is. But if it’s a good, I’m going to go play, yeah,” Doncic said when asked about his knee at NBA Finals media day in Boston.

Regardless of whether the Mavericks defeat the Celtics in the NBA Finals, Doncic will wrap up an extremely productive season later this month. Not only did he improve his personal play and earn MVP consideration, but he has also led Dallas to a deep and unexpected postseason run.

Just as Doncic has proven himself indispensable on the Mavericks, the fate of the Slovenian national team also lies on his shoulders in many ways. He is the only NBA player on the team’s current roster and helped the team qualify for the 2020 Olympics for the first time in the nation’s history. He led the team in nearly every statistical category in the tournament, in which the Slovenians finished just outside medal position in fourth.

“It’s unbelievable; a country of two million people being top four in the world,” Doncic said in 2021. “We really achieved a lot by just going to the Olympics, it was our first time in history [here]. It’s incredible.”

In addition to the 2020 Olympics, Doncic has also contributed to Slovenia’s efforts to win the 2017 EuroBasket tournament and qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Slovenia will compete in FIBA’s qualifying tournament against 23 other countries, including Greece in the preliminary round, which could put him into early international competition with Bucks star and former NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff situation darkened even further in Game 2 of the first round Tuesday when guard Khris Middleton went down with an ankle injury. With star Giannis Antetokounmpo already sidelined, the team now has to deal with two uncertain injury statuses for starters entering Game 3 on Friday.

Though Middleton managed to play through his injury in Game 2, taping up his ankle and playing 36 minutes, he has reportedly not practiced since. Bucks coach Doc Rivers had very little to offer after practice Thursday.

“It’s another holding our breath situation,” Rivers said. “So, honestly, I don’t know.”

Rivers was slightly more optimistic about Antentokounmpo’s status. The star big man missed both games in the first round to recover from a calf strain. Still, it remains unclear when he will be available to play.

“He’s getting close,” Rivers said Thursday. But I don’t know what that even means. I’m being honest. I saw him moving around, and in my mind, I said he’s getting close. Does that mean a day or four days? I’m not sure.”

While Milwaukee piles up injuries to star players, the Indiana Pacers have taken full advantage, winning Game 2 in a 125-108 blowout to even the series. The sixth seed is led by emerging star Tyrese Haliburton, who has not performed brilliantly in the series thus far but has nevertheless facilitated well on offense.

Before the season, the Bucks were one of a handful of teams that could have reasonably won an NBA Championship following the addition of star point guard Damian Lillard. Now, Lillard may have to reassume his role on the Trail Blazers, that of a lone hero, to get this super team through the first round.

If the Pacers successfully upset the Bucks and move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinal, it will be the team’s first trip beyond the first round since 2014.

Giannis Antetokounmpo left the Bucks’ Tuesday night victory over the Boston Celtics in the third quarter with an apparent left calf injury. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game with a left soleus strain, and Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers said that Antetokounmpo would undergo an MRI on his calf and Achilles tendon.

“High, I would say that,” Rivers said when asked about his concern for the superstar’s injury. “He’s Giannis. I think everyone probably feels the same way as I do right now. We’re just going to hope for the best.”

Antetokounmpo was questionable with a left hamstring injury coming into the Tuesday night game. He had missed multiple games in March due to the injury but decided to play regardless. He has only missed six games throughout the season, but the most recent injury could sideline him for at least the team’s last three games of the regular season. This year, Antetokounmpo is averaging the second-most points per game in the NBA with 30.3 on 61.1% shooting, 11.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.

“We’re going to need him,” Khris Middleton said about his teammate. “So if he’s got to get rest, if he’s got to sit out these [next] couple of games to be ready for the playoffs, we need him to be as close to 100% as he can be.”

Milwaukee traded for Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard before the start of the season to make another championship run. With matching Lillard alongside Antetokounmpo and Middleton, many around the league thought of the Bucks as a top title contender, but that hasn’t been the case recently. In the team’s past 30 games, the trio has only played in five of those together and most likely won’t play any more together this regular season.

Lillard is averaging 24.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game on a nearly career-low 42.5% shooting in 71 games. Middleton is averaging a six-year low of 15 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in only 51 games played this year. Middleton has also been struggling with injuries throughout the year and is officially listed as out for the team’s next game against the Magic.

The injury to their superstar is another blow for a Bucks team that has struggled in the past few weeks, including losses to the Wizards, Grizzlies and Raptors. Milwaukee fired head coach Adrian Griffin earlier in the season with a 30-13 record, but since then, they have gone 18-18 with Rivers leading the team. The Bucks are still second in the Eastern Conference standings but have only a few-game lead over the 3-8 seeds.

Before Tuesday night’s win against the top-seeded Celtics, the Bucks had lost four games in a row for the first time since December 2022. They’ve gone 4-6 in their past ten games, and with the loss of Antetokounmpo, the team can only hope they can get their superstar back for a long playoff run.

The Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Milwaukee Bucks at home Wednesday, defeating Damian Lillard in his homecoming 119-116. The win does little to impact either team’s starkly contrasting playoff hopes, but the game may be remembered for Lillard’s emotional reception before the game.

The longtime Portland point guard reluctantly left the team during the off-season, going to Milwaukee to form a powerful big three with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Lillard is a legitimate championship contender for the first time in his 12-year career, but leaving the Blazers was a meaningful and bittersweet sacrifice.

“Right now, I’m just in a space of like, this is where I am now. I’m in Milwaukee,” Lillard told ESPN before the game Wednesday. “I wanted the opportunity to contend, and our team has an opportunity to contend for this year and years to come, and I’m just living in that. But I definitely, when I was traded, I see a day where I’ll be in a Trail Blazer uniform again before I’m done.”

Lillard received an overwhelmingly warm reception as he stepped onto the floor Wednesday. Before the game, he anticipated recognizing faces in the crowd, a testament to his lengthy tenure with the team. Fans held signs thanking him and requesting his return someday.

Milwaukee’s point guard ended the night with 25 points and Antetokounmpo did his part with 27, but it was not enough, as the Blazers scraped together 119 points from nine different scorers. Portland improved to 15-33, keeping them in 14th in the Western Conference. Milwaukee, recovering from a sudden head coaching change, is still holding on to second in the Eastern Conference with a 32-16 record.

Lillard will once again part ways with Portland for now as the Bucks continue a West Coast road trip in Dallas on Saturday. But Wednesday’s game was an opportunity for him to take a look back with his first Bucks postseason run looming ahead.

“A lot of the things that I experienced here, I know that is going to always be a part of me,” Lillard said. “It’ll always be a part of me because everything that I’ve said, how I felt about my time, I meant it.”

Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters Wednesday night that he was surprised by the team’s decision to fire coach Adrian Griffin. Antetokounmpo’s confusion mirrors that of many outsiders, as the Bucks had a 30-13 record in Griffin’s first 43 games at the helm.

“I’ve got to trust the front office … My job is to be the best version of myself, to lead this team out there and help win games,” Antetokounmpo said. “Their job is to create the best team possible and the best atmosphere around the team possible that they believe gives us a better chance to win a championship. But yeah, I do think [firing Griffin] was a surprise.”

Antentokounmpo and others have been critical of the team’s play this season despite their record. Though they are second in the Eastern Conference, Antetokounmpo has repeatedly criticized himself and the team for a lack of chemistry and focus.

From the outside looking in, it’s difficult to criticize Griffin’s performance as the team’s coach. The 2023-24 season was his first as a head coach and he led his team to a commanding position in the Eastern Conference.

Nevertheless, Bucks general manager Jon Horst stood by his decision Wednesday. Horst reportedly said that the team needed to improve from an organizational and coaching standpoint in preparation for the postseason. The team has reportedly agreed to a deal in principle to hire coaching veteran Doc Rivers as Griffin’s replacement. He also denied any player involvement in the decision.

“I loved the guy. I invited him to my wedding,” Antetokounmpo said of Griffin. “I was coached by him and we did very, very, very well.”

The Bucks, without Griffin, held the Cavaliers in check for the entire game Wednesday and eventually cruised to a 126-116 victory. They improved to 31-13 on the season and play Cleveland again Friday.

Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has signed a contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. The three-year maximum contract is worth $186 million. 

He announced his extension on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, “Milwaukee! Let’s Get it!” with the hashtags “BucksInSix” and “Extended” after the post. 

Giannis’ future was in question after the Milwaukee Bucks dealt with two disappointing playoff runs after winning the 2021 NBA finals.

In August, he talked about his potential future with the Bucks organization. He said that while he would be loyal to the Bucks, they would have to win if he were to stay long-term.

“This is my team, and it’s going to forever be my team. I don’t forget the people that were there for me and allowed me to be great… But at the end of the day, being a winner, it’s over that goal. Winning a championship comes first. I don’t want to be 20 years on the same team and don’t win another championship,” he told reporters. 

In addition to being a two-time NBA MVP with the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis is also an NBA finals MVP, seven-time NBA All-Star, and NBA Defensive Player of the Year during his time with the team.

Giannis’ contract extension comes after the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard to better position itself in the 2024 title race. The two have reportedly become good friends.