Damian Lillard's alleged trash talk with Tyrese Haliburton and $188.9M Pacers star leaked
It’s only Day 1 of the NBA playoffs, and the intensity is already boiling over. The postseason tipped off on Saturday with Game 1 between the No. 4 Indiana Pacers and No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks — and it came packed with trash talk between star guards Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard.
X user @legendz_nba, known for breaking down mic’d-up moments and on-court audio, posted a clip showing the exchange between Haliburton and Lillard during the Pacers’ dominant 117-98 win.
In one clip, as Haliburton approached the Bucks' bench and exchanged words, Damian Lillard was overheard, seemingly saying:
“We suck? We’re gonna see about that… and I’ll beat your a**.”
Pascal Siakam, being restrained by Haliburton, apparently fired back at the Bucks bench, saying:
“Why is he talking? Hoe a** n***a.”
Haliburton then turned to Siakam and seemingly said:
“It’s time to get them the f**k out of here.”
And that’s exactly what the Pacers did — blowing out the Damian Lillard-less Bucks in Game 1 with a convincing 19-point win.
Haliburton struggled with his shot, going just 3-for-13 for 10 points, but he contributed 12 assists, seven rebounds and posted a plus-27 rating — second on the team only to Siakam’s plus-28.
Siakam, in the first year of his four-year, $188.95 million deal with Indiana, delivered big with a team-high 25 points and seven rebounds on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting.
Myles Turner added 19, and Andrew Nembhard chipped in with 17 on 8-for-13 shooting. Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell contributed 13 and 11 off the bench, respectively.
For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo was a lone bright spot with 36 points and 12 boards on 14-for-23 shooting. No other starter hit double digits, as both Kyle Kuzma and Taurean Prince were held scoreless.
Off the bench, A.J. Green, Gary Trent Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. tried to keep Milwaukee afloat with 15, 14 and 12 points, respectively, but their efforts weren’t enough.
When will Damian Lillard return for the Bucks?
Damian Lillard sat out the end of the regular season with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. However, Milwaukee has since announced that he’s recovered and is ramping up his activity.
Though he missed Game 1, the Bucks are optimistic he could return sometime this series — possibly as early as Game 2 or Game 3.
The Pacers will host Game 2 on Tuesday, while Milwaukee returns home for Game 3 on Friday.