For the second straight year, the Bucks and Pacers are meeting in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Clearly, there is no love lost.
Seeds of the rivalry were planted during the 2023-24 NBA season, and with the number of times the two teams have met in the last 18 months, a few players seem tired of one another. This particularly applies to Milwaukee guard Damian Lillard and Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton.
While Lillard was sidelined during the Pacers' Game 1 win, he and Pacers forward Pascal Siakam were assessed double technical fouls in the second half after an animated exchange that began with Lillard and Haliburton. It's not completely uncommon for an inactive player to receive a technical foul, but it also does not happen often.
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What did Lillard say? Here's a closer look at the back-and-forth between the star guards and the history that may have led up to it.
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Damian Lillard-Tyrese Haliburton beef, explained
Things between Lillard and Haliburton reignited in Game 1 of the 2025 first-round series between Milwaukee and Indiana.
As the Pacers worked to thwart a late Bucks comeback attempt, Haliburton was fouled by Giannis Antetokounmpo with under two minutes remaining. Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers called a timeout to trigger a coach's challenge, but as Haliburton began to walk to Indiana's bench, Lillard got his attention.
Lillard appears to take issue with "That s— you talking down there," followed by a clear, "You gon see," directed at Haliburton, an apparent warning for when Lillard returns to the series after completing his return-to-play reconditioning.
Several Bucks and Pacers players stepped in during the exchange and while cooler heads prevailed, it sets the scene for Lillard's potential return in Game 2, and calls back to the first notable exchange between him and Haliburton.
MORE: The latest updates on Damian Lillard's potential return to the NBA Playoffs
During the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament in 2023, the Bucks and Pacers traveled to Las Vegas to meet in the semifinals. With the Pacers up five points late, Haliburton drained a dagger 3-pointer before trolling Lillard and the Bucks by employing the "Dame Time" celebration.
Haliburton, who was mic'd up, looked at his wrist and said, "Y'all know what time it is!"
IT'S HALI'S TIME https://t.co/jxMaRG5CTu pic.twitter.com/cQVnjv5SQZ
— NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2023
After the game, Haliburton dodged a question when asked about Lillard, saying, "It's our time. It’s our time as a group," per Pacers beat writer Scott Agness.
Lillard took it mostly in stride, saying, "For as many times as I’ve done it to people, I can't be upset when somebody else does it. I think that's also a sign of respect and acknowledgment for knowing my history and knowing what I do."
He did, however, close his answer with a statement that feels particularly fitting for this year's playoff series:
"I've also known that when you’re having your moment, it’s important to be careful and to be humble when you're having your moments because you just never know how the tables turn and when they're gonna turn."
The Pacers have gotten the best of the Bucks in recent meetings, but with Lillard looking to return for the remainder of the series, he and Milwaukee's fans will look to see the tables turn sooner rather than later.