Tyrese Haliburton led the Indiana Pacers to a last-second 119-118 overtime home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks during Tuesday’s Game 5 first-round playoff clash. Afterward, the star point guard’s father, John, engaged in a postgame confrontation with Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Instead of defending his pops, Haliburton outlined how he got too overzealous about Indiana rallying to win the series 4-1 via a thrilling finish.
Tyrese Haliburton Addresses Father’s Actions After Clinching Series
Milwaukee started overtime strong, with shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. drilling four of his game-high eight 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo converted a clutch finger roll en route to the Bucks taking a 118-111 lead in the final minute.
However, Indiana responded by scoring eight straight points to pull off a stunning victory. Haliburton, who tallied a team-best 26 points, came up clutch, converting an and-one layup to trim the Bucks’ advantage to 118-117 with 17.1 seconds to go. A play later, the two-time All-Star drove past Antetokounmpo for a go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds remaining, with Milwaukee lacking a timeout to respond.
Following the game, Haliburton’s father approached Antetokounmpo on the court, seemingly rubbing in his son’s success. Another clip of the two exchanging words face to face went viral, with the two-time MVP needing to be pulled away.
Some fans online took exception to Antetokounmpo engaging in an altercation with the elder Haliburton. Nevertheless, according to Tyrese Haliburton, his dad was the one out of line.
“Me and my pops have talked about that, and I don’t agree with what transpired there from him,” Haliburton said. “I think basketball is basketball, and let’s keep it on the court. I think that he just got excited, saw his son make a game-winner, and came on the court.”
Haliburton added that he plans to make things right with Antetokounmpo.
“I’ll talk with Giannis eventually about it,” Haliburton said. “I don’t think that my pops was in the right at all there. Unfortunate what happened at the end there.”
Antetokounmpo on Confrontation With Haliburton’s Father
As for Antetokounmpo’s thoughts on Haliburton’s father’s postgame behavior, he called it “disrespectful,” noting that he was cursed out amid his celebration. The nine-time All-Star then denounced the idea of gloating and showboating after a victory.
“This is the last thing I’m going to say. I don’t want to talk about it,” Antetokounmpo said. “We lost the game. It doesn’t really matter. All I’ll say is that I believe in being humble in victory. That’s the way I am.”
Antetokounmpo did all he could to keep his undermanned team’s brief postseason run alive. He finished with 30 points, 20 rebounds, 13 assists, two steals, and two blocks, shooting 9-for-17 (52.9%). Unfortunately for “The Greek Freak,” the Bucks lacked the offensive firepower and depth to keep up with the Pacers throughout the five-game series.
