Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was at his dominant best against the Indiana Pacers at the Finserv Forum. The Greek Freak delivered with 64 points which helped the Bucks defeat the Pacers 140-126.
However, there was drama at the end of the game as Antetokounmpo demanded the game ball following a historic night in the NBA. But the ball was with the Indiana Pacers, who wanted to gift the game ball to their rookie Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first point in the NBA on the night.
However, Antetokounmpo was seen making his way to the Pacers locker room and came out of the tunnel demanding the game ball. Here, he was also involved in a heated exchange with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
After all the ruckus, Antetokounmpo spoke about everything to the media. The Greek superstar was still unsure if he had the game ball or not. He feels he was given a brand-new ball. “I have no idea, I’m not gonna lie. I have no idea. I don’t know, I really don’t know. I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand new ball. I can tell from — I played, what, 35 minutes today? I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, which I will take and I will give it to my mom for sure, but I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball.”
Antetkounmpo broke the franchise record with his 64-point performance. He broke Michael Redd’s 57-point record for the Bucks in 2006 as they lost 113-111 to the Utah Jazz.
Antetokounmpo previously scored 55 points in a 123-113 win over the Washington Wizards in January. He scored 54 points against the Pacers last month. While the overall incident will surely dampen his mood on an otherwise historic night.
Despite all the drama that unfolded after the game, Bucks coach Adrian Griffin made sure that the limelight was on Giannist Antetkounmpo. He claimed him as an incredible player, one that has a great will to win.
“He’s an unstoppable player. You can’t guard him one-on-one. You’ve got some really good guys surrounding him, but at the end of the day, it’s all him. His talent. His ability. His will. He has an incredible will to win, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win. I’m just coaching the game and one of the coaches told me, ‘Yeah, Giannis has 50. I had no idea.’ But wow, what a great performance,” Griffin said on Giannis.
With this win, the Bucks are second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 17-7, they have as many wins as leaders Boston Celtics but two fewer losses keep them ahead in the standings. The Bucks will next face the Detroit Pistons on December 17 at their Finserv Forum.
