Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 64 factors towards the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, and all the story wound up being in regards to the recreation ball.
Giannis needed it. The Pacers, it appeared, had taken it. Giannis went furiously sprinting into the Pacers’ tunnel, the place, as Rick Carlisle referred to as it, a “fracas” broke out, leaving Pacers GM Chad Buchanan, once more in response to Carlisle, with bruised ribs after he was elbowed by a Bucks participant.
Carlisle’s story is that Indiana did, certainly, take the sport ball on the buzzer, however not as a result of it was making an attempt to steal it from Giannis, however as a result of they needed it for his or her rookie, Oscar Tshiebwe, who had scored his first NBA level within the recreation.
You possibly can see what was considered a Pacers assistant snagging the ball after the buzzer.
So here is the place it will get fascinating. CBS Sports activities’ Jack Maloney confirms that Bucks safety was in a position to retrieve a ball for Giannis, however Giannis doesn’t this ball he acquired is truly the sport ball.
“I’ve a ball, however I do not know if it is the sport ball. It would not really feel like a recreation ball to me,” Antetokounmpo stated. “It appears like a brand-new ball. I can inform. I performed 35 minutes as we speak. I understand how the sport ball felt. The ball I’ve, which I am going to take and I am going to give it to my mother for certain, however I do not know if it is truly the sport ball.”
Giannis went on to say that he did not even need the ball for himself, however as an alternative for Damian Lillard, who moved into fifth all-time on the profession 3-point listing. He could be making an attempt to say the best factor there, as he clearly stated he would give the ball he has to his mother.
Both method, there was, and nonetheless is, loads of cause to suspect that the Pacers, even when they did actually take a reserve ball, weren’t doing so totally innocently. They did not look like pleased with the best way that Giannis was chasing the file in a blowout, and issues had already began to get chippy when Aaron Nesmith all however hogtied Giannis to the bottom early within the fourth quarter.
Following that, Carlisle pulled his starters across the six-minute mark with the Pacers trailing by 16, however the Bucks starters stayed in as Giannis was chasing not solely what was beforehand his profession excessive of 55 factors, but in addition the Bucks’ franchise file of 57, which was held by Michael Redd.
Giannis hit 58 factors for his profession excessive and the Bucks file and exited the sport with 3:24 left within the fourth quarter. At that time, the Bucks have been up by 19 factors.
However then the Pacers reduce the deficit to 10 and Giannis got here again into the sport with 2:02 remaining. That is seemingly the place the Pacers may have gotten upset. You understand how these grown males can get extraordinarily infantile when their egos get grazed. We noticed this with groups chasing level differentials throughout In-Season Match video games.
So that you begin with the Nesmith incident, then think about Giannis placing his foot down in pursuit of the file, to the purpose of coming again right into a recreation that was all however over, and issues have been absolutely on edge. Giannis noticed the Pacers take off with what he believed to be his ball, and he went after it.
The Pacers say they took the reserve ball. Giannis would not assume he wound up with the principle one. One of many nice mysteries seems to be unsolved in the intervening time (what we actually want is for Chris Paul to dig a tunnel to Indiana’s locker room and lead a search social gathering in there to recuperate proof). It is all fairly hilarious stuff, truly. This league and its drama by no means fails to entertain.
In the meantime, for those who’re right here for the precise basketball highlights, right here you go:
As for the case of the lacking basketball, we’ll hold you updated if there are any new developments within the investigation.
