NBA Playoffs: Bobby Portis was sent off for fighting against the Pacers, leaving the Bucks with another key player shorthanded

The Milwaukee Bucks had already lost Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo and lost another key player early in Sunday's playoff Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers.

After a scuffle with Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, Bobby Portis was sent off by officials in the first quarter. As the Pacers took a 17-16 lead late in the first quarter, Portis and Nembhard entered the game after a dead-ball whistle on the baseline.

Bucks forward Khris Middleton was fouled on a drive to the basket, resulting in a missed shot. Portis reached around Nehmard's right shoulder as the two battled for rebounding position. Nembhard pushed Portis away, and Portis responded by pushing Nembhard and hitting him in the back of the head. The two were separated before the situation escalated further.

Officers reviewed the incident on the playback monitor. They assessed a technical foul on Nembhard and two technical fouls on Portis, which led to his sending off. The officials cited two incidents involving Portis as the cause of the individual technical fouls – a “push to the chest” and a “punch that made contact with Nembhard’s head.”

The Pacers were awarded a technical free throw, which Tyrese Haliburton hit before Middleton shot his free throws for the personal foul.

The loss of Portis was a blow to the Bucks team, which came into the game with a 2-1 series loss and both All-Stars injured. Antetokounmpo missed a sixth straight game with a calf strain and has yet to make his postseason debut. Lillard was sidelined early Sunday with an Achilles tendon injury he suffered in Game 4.

Portis was a finalist for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award and then moved into the starting lineup when Antetokounmpo was sidelined with three games left in the regular season. His presence in the lineup was crucial for Milwaukee. In three playoff starts before Sunday, Portis averaged 15.3 points and 13.3 rebounds against the Pacers.