In 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo told Milwaukee Bucks legend Michael Redd that he’s going to beat his franchise single-game scoring record one day. Well, two years later, the Greek Freak did just that. The All-Star forward makes history again after putting up 64 points against the Indiana Pacers on December 13, 2023.
This incredible scoring output becomes the highest in Bucks’ history, beating Michael Redd’s 57-point outing in 2006. Antetokounmpo also broke his previous career-high 55 points, which he accomplished earlier this year. Meanwhile, the Bucks secured their 17th win this season after a blowout victory over Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, 14-126. However, the record-breaking night would later be overshadowed by a scuffle over a ball.
A new rivalry is brewing in the Eastern Conference following the Bucks-Pacers’ latest altercation
Giannis Antetokounmpo made a memorable performance on Wednesday, but the Pacers were having none of it. After the game, a heated interaction happened on the Fiserv Forum after the Pacers’ squad took the actual game ball. In context, Giannis requested to have the historic game ball, obviously to commemorate his record-breaking 64-point outing, but members and coaches of the Indiana Pacers reportedly took it away and gave the two-time MVP another ball. This unprecedented ruckus continued to the tunnel, but thankfully, it was broken off by security. Clearly, it caused an eruptive reaction from Giannis as he now throws a fit against Tyrese Haliburton.
Indiana’s head coach, Rick Carlisle, explained that his players grabbed the ball to celebrate rookie Oscar Tshiebwe’s first NBA point.
“What happened after the game was unfortunate,” Carlisle said. “There was a misunderstanding about the game ball. … We were not thinking about Giannis’ franchise record, so we grabbed the ball.
Even in the middle of the game, things were already chippy between these two teams. A brawl almost broke after Aaron Nesmith grabbed Giannis by the neck. Then, Tyrese Haliburton got knocked down by Giannis on a different play. Milwaukee and Indiana have already met three times this season and it’s not odd that they already hate each other. Later on, it was revealed that there were actually two game balls during the Bucks-Pacers game. However, Giannis is still not convinced he got the actual ball that was used on Wednesday.
NBA fans react to the hilarious Bucks-Pacers fracas
Despite the huge scoring outburst by Giannis, the controversial game ball incident suddenly became the bigger news. Most of the fans are torn on who was in the wrong, but for some of them, it was a fiasco that could have been avoided in the first place. The Pacers players were petty for stealing the ball but Giannis’ throwing a tantrum on the court was also uncalled for. Regardless, it’s going to be a fun rivalry in the East, and the next time they meet, Giannis is definitely going to explode.
