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Giannis Antetokounmpo set a Bucks franchise record with 64 points on Wednesday night, but he was left enraged when the Pacers took the game ball from his historic performance.
It was a great night for the 'Greek Freak' as his Herculean scoring effort led the Bucks to a 140-126 win over the Pacers.
But when Antetokounmpo looked for the game ball after the final buzzer, it was nowhere to be found as Indiana had taken it themselves.
The two-time MVP was seen sprinting down the tunnel of the Fiserv Forum as a Bucks staffer attempted to hold the 6-foot-11, 243-pound bruiser back.
He later reentered the court and berated Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton and associate head coach Lloyd Pierce, as he appeared to demand they retrieve the ball.
Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated the Pacers to the tune of 64 points on Wednesday
But he became enraged after the game when the Pacers took the game ball
Antetokounmpo then berated Pacers assistant Lloyd Pierce and Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton
Giannis goers sprinting down the tunnel and then returns a minute later to go off on Lloyd Pierce and Tyrese Halliburton demanding they get the game ball back as one of the Pacers took it pic.twitter.com/MocZ4VPNBi
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) December 14, 2023Haliburton and Pierce could be seen in (calmer) discussion with Khris Middleton and Damian Lillard beforehand.
The game broadcast later panned to the Bucks' Jae Crowder and another Milwaukee player being separated from the Pacers in the tunnel by a security guard, though the situation did not escalate to violence.
Eventually, as Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes reported, Bucks security was able to get the ball for Antetokounmpo.
However, Antetokounmpo said at his post-game press conference that he wasn't sure whether he actually had the game ball.
'I have a ball, but I don't know if it's the game ball... it feels like a brand new ball,' he said.
Haynes wrote on X that the Pacers said they intended to give the ball to rookie Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first career point in the loss.
The Pacers tweeted after the game, 'Oscar Tshiebwe moved to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a teenager to pursue his basketball dreams.
Antetokounmpo shot 20 of 28 from the field as he dominated the Pacers on Wednesday
'Tonight, he realized his dream of playing in the NBA and scored his first career point.'
Antetokounmpo also tallied 14 rebounds in the effort, in addition to four steals.
He shot a staggering 32 free throws in the contest.
The incident follows the Pacers' 128-119 win over the Bucks in the in-season tournament semifinals.
Indiana would go on to lose to the Lakers in the championship game.
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