Bucks, Pacers Scuffle Over Game Ball After Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Record Performance

OK, so here's the deal with the Giannis Antetokounmpo-Indiana Pacers Brouhaha Over The Game Ball, as it will formally come to be known.

On Wednesday night, after the Bucks beat the Pacers (in a game with the highest total in at least 30 years that also went over), there was trouble after the game.

A horrible hullabaloo. A fracas in the Fiserv Forum.

During the game, a series of milestones occurred while the Bucks eventually pulled away for the win:

• Antetokounmpo scored a franchise-record 64 points, passing Michael Redd (who was a bucket, by the way).
• Damian Lillard passed Kyle Korver for fifth on the all-time scoring list.
• Rookie Oscar Tshiebwe scored his first NBA regulation points (though not his first in an NBA game as he scored in the IST Final garbage time on Saturday).

After the game, the Pacers took the game ball to give to the rookie.

That, well, that didn't sit right with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Flip on through to the 51-second mark. That's Giannis at 6-11, 243 pounds sprinting full speed toward the back area to go get that game ball. Something occurs in the back, and then Giannis returns to scream at Tyrese Haliburton over the situation.

Eventually, the Pacers returned the game ball, but Giannis felt there was hijinks afoot!

Ooh, those dastardly Pacers tried to pull a fast one on the Greek Freak!

Except, no, it turns out that the Pacers never actually had the game ball.

Yeah, here's a video of a Bucks security guard taking the game ball after the game.

It should be noted that Giannis still does not feel he got the real game ball.

So, why was Giannis so adamant and upset about getting that game ball? HT: Reddit

So let me get this straight:

Giannis Antetokounmpo charged into the tunnel so that he could get the game ball for Lillard, who passed Kyle Korver — a hell of a shooter, by the way — for fifth all-time. Not first. Not even second. Fifth.

Is Lillard putting that up on a mantle?

Is he adding that one to the trophy room to show houseguests? "And here's the game ball from when I shot 6-of-14 and 2-0f-8 from three to pass Kyle Korver for fifth. Marvel at the historical significance."

That doesn't make any sense.

What really happened here?

Well, it's important to note that the Pacers beat the Bucks in the In-Season Tournament semifinals in Vegas a week ago. In that game, after Haliburton hit a clinching three, he mimicked checking his watch for "Dame Time."

In this game, the Bucks, for some reason, left starters in despite being up 20.

The Pacers' reserves then cut it to 10, forcing the Bucks to put starters back in, at which point Antetokounmpo got his franchise record.

This feels a lot like it's not about the game ball.

If you're wondering how this would work with cooler heads, the Bucks and Pacers would go to their locker rooms as usual, Antetokounmpo would realize the game ball isn't there, ask an equipment manager or security official to retrieve it from the equipment room and/or Pacers locker room if it's believed they took it.

If the Pacers refused, Antetokounmpo would head to the locker room, calmly wait outside, speak with a team representative (usually the team's best player like Hali, but maybe an assistant coach), and they would work it out.

That is not what happened here because tempers were high.

During the game, Bobby Portis picked up a technical foul for a high elbow that broke Isaiah Jackson's nose. (Portis later picked up a second tech and was ejected.) Portis was also furious after this hard foul on Giannis.

So what should we take away from this situation?

• The Pacers and Bucks genuinely don't like one another, and we have the In-Season Tournament to thank for a new rivalry.
• Antetokounmpo was probably a little too wound up, but also when you're competing at that level, it's to be expected.
• Antetokounmpo was probably trying to build chemistry/loyalty/investment with Lillard because while the Bucks have been good record-wise, there are still concerns about Lillard's mindset after winding up in Milwaukee when he wanted to be in Miami.
• Haliburton hilariously looks really confused as to why he's getting yelled at by the 6-11 tank human; this is the first kind of incident where Haliburton is looked at as the leader of his team, at least publicly.
• There might be punishment coming from the hallway altercation due to Pacers GM Chad Buchanan suffering a "bruised rib" according to Carlisle.
• The NBA may have to implement an official game-ball policy which will, again, be absolutely hilarious.

No one was seriously hurt in the kerfuffle, and the Pacers and Bucks play again on New Year's Day. That should be a fun one to watch.