Haliburton: It's no secret we don't like Bucks

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton got into a heated exchange with Damian Lillard late in Tuesday's 123-115 Game 2 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

It was the second interaction between the two players in as many games, and Haliburton didn't beat around the bush when describing how the teams feel about one another.

"We don't have to sit here and act like it's any secret," Haliburton said after the Pacers took a 2-0 series lead, according to ESPN's Stephen Holder. "We don't like them, they don't like us, and that's just what it is. And I think they live for this, we live for this, so I could (not) care less. I'm out here just trying to help my team win a game."

The Pacers and Bucks have been at odds for quite some time. A postgame confrontation between the two sides unfolded in December 2023 when the Pacers took the game ball from Giannis Antetokounmpo's career-high 64-point night.

Indiana also won last season's NBA Cup semifinals matchup and later beat the Bucks in six games in the opening round of the playoffs.

Antetokounmpo knows there's no love lost with the Pacers, but his priority is getting the Bucks out of an 0-2 series deficit.

"I feel like there's a lot of animosity, a lot of back and forth," Antetokounmpo said. "But I try to stay away from it. I try to stay away from it as much as I can and just focus on what I've got to do to help the team win. But, shit, if you poke me, I'm right there. I'm not backing down.

"I think a lot of people know that about me, but I really don't care about what people think or what (the Pacers) think or what we think. I really don't care. My mindset right now is Game 3. We know the f-----g deal, man. I just know the deal. I know what I've got to do."

Game 3 is Friday at 8 p.m. ET in Milwaukee.