Giannis Antetokounmpo was deeply affected by the loss in the in-season play-in tournament against the Indianapolis Pacers, who were led by the talented guard, Tyrese Halliburton. The final score of the game was 128-119 in favor of the Pacers. However, after six days, both teams were set to face each other again in Milwaukee.
From the jump, this game had a different feeling. The Bucks wanted to prove that the Pacers were not in the same weight class. Early on, lead guard Hali received the message as he had a thunderous dunk.
As he celebrated his dunk on forward Marjon Beauchamp, Giannis bumped Hali into the ground with his shoulder. The play was reviewed, and Giannis was assessed as a technical.
Pacers/Bucks is fun pic.twitter.com/PTPzdoFBhi
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) December 14, 2023
The game was intense as Giannis made history with his aggressive style of play. The Pacers were determined to stop him at any cost. Later in the second half, when Giannis drove toward the basket, forward Andrew Nasmith, who scored 12 points, grabbed him by the neck and threw him down.
Thanasis being held back after Nesmith and Giannis got tied up 😳
Things got chippy in Bucks-Pacers 👀 pic.twitter.com/b4HFmC4ACW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2023
https://twitter.com/big_business_/status/1735140458651693338?s=46&t=owUIlA-OVvLzGoxK1jrmxA
To sum up the game, the Pacers tried to come back but couldn’t ever officially make it back. The Greek Freak finished the game with 64 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, one block, and a steal.
Freakish number, no doubt, breaking the Milwaukee Bucks franchise record, and it was reported that yesterday was Giannis’ late father’s birthday. Once the game was over, the ball couldn’t be retreated.
It has been reported that NBA rookie Oscar Tshiebwe scored his first NBA basket and the Pacers kept the ball for him as a gesture of goodwill. However, Giannis chased after the Pacers into the locker room, asking for the ball. In a leaked audio, it can be heard that Myles Turner and Buddy Hield were rubbed the wrong way by Giannis’ tone and energy, and as a result, they didn’t want to give him the ball.
Check out the leaked audio and the fallout after the game below.
Les Pacers : "Garde le ballon !!! Tu veux le ballon ? Tu vas pas l'avoir" 💀
Les Bucks : "Donnez lui ce putain de ballon"
Giannis à Haliburton : "Va me chercher ce p*tain de ballon, je te le dis, va me le chercher"C'est le LEAK AUDIO DE L’ANNÉE 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/EEhoNue2z2
— The Daily Dunk (@dailydunkfr) December 14, 2023
Head coach of the Indiana Pacers, Rick Carlisle explained after the game that the whole situation was unfortunate and they took the ball for their tremendous rookie rebounder from Kentucky.
“It was Oscar Tshibwe’s first official point so we always get the game ball. We were not thinking about Giannis’s franchise record. So we grabbed the ball and a couple minutes later several of their players ended up in our hallway. My General Manager got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players. Unfortunate situation, we don’t need the official game ball. It’s two game balls there. We could’ve taken the other one, but it doesn’t need to escalate to that,” Carlisle said.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle spoke on what happened following Pacers-Bucks: pic.twitter.com/eILJiSVxr4
— ESPN (@espn) December 14, 2023
In the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo played with a purpose beyond just winning points and playing with a ball. It was speculated that he wanted to dedicate this game to his mother, who was mourning on that day. After the match, Giannis received the ball but he was still unsure if it was the official game ball. He also mentioned that he did not possess the Game 6 NBA Finals ball.
The saga takes another turn. Giannis says he is not sure if the game ball he received is the actual game ball. He also reveals he doesn’t possess the Game 6 Finals game ball either.
Full answer: pic.twitter.com/dcIxc17oJr
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 14, 2023
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