Watch: Bucks vs Pacers turns into mayhem as Bobby Portis punches Andrew Nembhard & gets ejected from Game 4 of playoffs

Bobby Portis struggled to maintain composure in the pivotal Game 4 matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers. His altercation with Andrew Nembhard resulted in an ejection early in the first quarter.

Without the services of Damian Lillard (Achilles) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf), the team needed every available supporting cast to step up in tonight's contest.

The altercation occurred when Pacers guard Nembhard's arm got tangled up with Portis' arm under the rim. It then resulted in some friction that quickly ramped up into a heated moment between the two, and the Bucks forward threw punches.

Before his ejection, Portis only logged seven minutes of action, posting four points (2-of-4 shooting) and three rebounds. Aside from Khris Middleton, the primary scorer of the team with two starters out, Portis was supposed to be the next man up who could aid in lifting some of Middleton's offensive burden.

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Bobby Portis described the Indiana Pacers as the "frontrunners" in trash-talking in the NBA

Speaking with The Athletic's Eric Nehm, Bobby Portis talked about the trash-talking incident between him and Tyrese Haliburton during the Pacers' 125-108 Game 2 win.

"I mean, just quite frankly, they're frontrunners, bro," Portis said. "When the s*** going good, they laughing, clapping, all that. When it's going bad, they not saying anything. So I think, to answer that question, guys always feel good when they're having a good game or hitting shots, everybody. I think that's human nature and basketball."

Interestingly, Portis considered the Indiana Pacers to be the kind of team that ducts from talking smack when the going gets tough, and they do not have their way with a team.

After securing the first win of the first-round series against the Pacers, Indiana countered their 109-94 Game 1 loss with a bounce-back performance in Game 2.

The Milwaukee Bucks only won one regular season game in the five head-to-head meetings. It occurred on Dec. 13, 2023, with a 140-126 win.

Be that as it may, the Pacers had the Bucks' number throughout the regular season, with some of the heated rivalry transitioning over into their first-round playoff games.

It remains to be seen if Portis will receive further disciplinary punishment for throwing a punch toward Andrew Nembhard.

So far into this first-round series, Portis averaged 15.3 points (43.5% shooting, including 14.3% from 3-point range), 13.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 35.0 minutes per game. He was supposed to supply some of the missing production that Giannis Antetokounmpo provided for the team.