Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 64-point record marred by ‘fracas’ over game ball robbery

NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo exploded in a fit of rage after the game ball for his recordbreaking performance was stolen.

Giannis was desperate to get the game ball.

Giannis Antetokounmpo erupted for a career-high 64 points as the Milwaukee Bucks avenged last week’s in-season tournament exit to the Indiana Pacers with an ill-tempered 140-126 victory on Thursday (AEDT).

Former NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo was in scintillating form, shooting 20-of-28 from the field with 14 rebounds, three assists and four steals as the clash between the two highest-scoring teams in the NBA lived up to its billing.

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Milwaukee were dumped out of the in-season tournament semi-finals in Las Vegas last week by the Pacers and were clearly determined to avoid a repeat of that loss before their home crowd at the Fiserv Forum.

The simmering tension between the teams boiled over in the fourth quarter when Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith wrapped an arm around Antetokounmpo’s neck as he drove for the basket.

Giannis was in the thick of everything against the Pacers. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

The Greek Freak was furious his recordbreaking ball was taken. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP.

Milwaukee’s Bobby Portis flew in to defend his teammate before being dragged away in an ugly melee that involved officials and coaching staff from both benches.

The acrimony flared again after the final buzzer, with Antetokounmpo and other Milwaukee players racing off the court to confront members of the Pacers team.

Antetokounmpo, whose 64 points marked a franchise record, later re-emerged back onto the court to remonstrate with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.

Giannis tried to go into the Pacers locker room after they took the game ball from his 64 piece pic.twitter.com/Z9LnPQihzJ

— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) December 14, 2023

Glorious glorious petty NBA drama.

Love this league. https://t.co/QFNn4TfMTF

— Nic Negrepontis (@NicNegrepontis) December 14, 2023

OMG! Giannis Antetokounmpo running after the Pacers players, who kept the game ball in which Giannis scored a career-high 64 points. 🤯

NBA is the best league in the world, there’s a story every single day. pic.twitter.com/K3GNS30jy4

— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) December 14, 2023

"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."

Giannis not convinced he has the real game ball 🏀 pic.twitter.com/z5mc2tGx6H

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2023

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the post-game fracas was triggered over a misunderstanding about the game-ball, snaffled by the Pacers after their Congolese rookie Oscar Tshiebwe scored his first NBA point off the bench.

Antetokounmpo and the Bucks were reportedly given the game ball, but the Greek Freak and teammate Damian Lillard still weren’t convinced it was in fact the game ball and not an unused replica.

“We were not thinking about Giannis’s franchise record so we grabbed the ball and a couple of minutes later several of their players ended up in our hallway,” Carlisle said.

“There was a big fracas, melee whatever. I don’t think any punches landed but our general manager got an elbow in the ribs from one of their players.

“Unfortunate situation. It didn’t need to escalate to that.

“Third time we’ve played these guys in the past two to three weeks so things are heated and I understand all that. But for it to come into the hallway — it didn’t need to happen that way.”

Originally published as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 64-point record marred by ‘fracas’ over game ball robbery