Giannis Antetokounmpo’s historic night, scoring a franchise-record 64 points for the Milwaukee Bucks in a 140-126 victory over the Indiana Pacers, took an unexpected turn post-game when a confrontation erupted over the coveted game ball.
Antetokounmpo clarified postgame that he intended to give the ball to teammate Damian Lillard, who achieved a milestone, moving past Kyle Korver for fifth place in NBA history for three-pointers made with 21 points.
However, the Pacers had a different plan, with Oscar Tshiebwe securing the game ball for his first official NBA point, leading to an upset Giannis.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle addressed the situation, deeming it unfortunate, stating, “There’s a misunderstanding about the game ball. It was Oscar Tshiebwe’s first official NBA point, so we always get the game ball.”
He continued to provide details, expressing disappointment in the escalation, “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.”
Carlisle emphasized the unnecessary nature of the incident, saying, “We don’t need the official game ball. There’s two game balls there. We could have taken the other one. But it didn’t need to escalate to that. Really just unfortunate.”
The Pacers head coach acknowledged the heated competition but stressed the incident’s needless escalation into the hallway, marring an otherwise intense basketball clash.
