Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has no doubts in his mind that the Indiana Pacers took the game ball from his historic outing on Wednesday. That is why he reacted the way he did at the end of the contest.
For those who missed it, Antetokounmpo got furious after the Pacers took the ball from the showdown. He dropped a career-high and franchise-record 64 points in the 140-126 win, so he really wanted the ball to commemorate the achievement. When it appeared Indiana took the ball, he ran to the Fiserv Forum tunnel to retrieve it.
After failing to do so, Antetokounmpo returned to the court and had a heated conversation with Tyrese Haliburton over the incident.
While Antetokounmpo was given the ball later on, he expressed his concerns that it’s not the real game ball. During his postgame presser, he also defended his actions of charging to the Pacers, emphasizing that he’s not simply assuming they had the ball. He knows it.
“I knew they had the game ball. I didn’t think they had the game ball. I knew they had the ball. First of all, I don’t know how it works, but I assume, like I can just not walk into any arena that I play in and take the ball,” Antetokounmpo responded when asked if he was under the impression Indiana took the ball, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
Antetokounmpo also shared that he couldn’t believe the Pacers took the ball to give it to their rookie, Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first official NBA points. After all, it was an unforgettable night for the Bucks, with Damian Lillard cracking the top five of the all-time three-pointers list as well.
It is important to note that the Pacers did take the ball, or at least they thought they did. Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle shared after the game that they took it to give to Tshiebwe. Later on, however, it was reported that what the team got was a backup ball and not the real game ball.
The Bucks are said to have retrieved the game ball, though as Giannis mentioned, he’s not sure if it’s the real one because it felt knew.
However, the game’s aftermath was overshadowed by an altercation near the Indiana locker room concerning the possession of the game ball. Pacers coach Rick Carlisle described the incident as a misunderstanding, stating the ball was initially taken for Oscar Tshiebwe’s first official NBA point, without considering Antetokounmpo’s record-setting performance.
“What happened after the game was unfortunate,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “There was a misunderstanding about the game ball. It was Oscar Tshiebwe’s first official NBA point, so we always get the game ball. We were not thinking about Giannis’ franchise record, so we grabbed the ball.
“A couple of minutes later, several of their players ended up in our hallway, and there was a big, I don’t know what to call it — a fracas, melee, whatever. I don’t think any punches were landed, but my general manager got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players.”
The game also witnessed a heated moment when Aaron Nesmith tackled Antetokounmpo, leading to a flagrant-1 foul and technical fouls for Nesmith and the Bucks’ Bobby Portis. Portis was later ejected while Antetokounmpo continued his scoring spree.
Damian Lillard contributed 21 points for the Bucks, notably surpassing Kyle Korver for the fifth place in NBA history for 3-pointers.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner each scored 22 points. This game followed the Pacers’ victory over the Bucks in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament. Antetokounmpo’s stellar performance and the Bucks’ dominance were evident as they led 70-63 at halftime and maintained control throughout the game.
Looking ahead, the Pacers are set to play the Washington Wizards on Friday night, while the Bucks will host the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
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