Giannis Antetokounmpo’s career night for the Indiana Pacers was besmirched by a post-game ruckus that saw the Milwaukee Bucks superstar getting absolutely heated over the game ball. The Pacers decided to take the ball to their locker room shortly after the final buzzer, which understandably infurated Antetokounmpo. Can you blame the man for wanting the game ball after scoring a career-high 64 points?
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle spoke to reporters after the win and the veteran shot-caller was quick to dispute the notion that Indiana had stolen the game ball to spite Giannis and the Bucks. Apparently, the Pacers had a very good reason as to why they took the ball: “What happened after the game was unfortunate,” Carlisle said, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “There was a misunderstanding about the game ball. It was Oscar Tshiebwe’s first NBA point. So we always get the game ball. We grabbed the ball and a couple of minutes later several of their players ended up in our hallway.”
If this were any other game, then you would probably understand Indiana’s motives for taking the game ball. However, every single Indiana player and staff member is well aware of the fact that Antetokounmpo just had a career night. Surely, they would have known that he would have wanted the ball for himself, right? True enough, Antetokounmpo charged the Pacers locker room to get his prize. It caused quite a commotion in the tunnel, which fortunately, did not escalate into anything physical.
