Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo added another accolade with a career-high 64 points against the Indiana Pacers in Milwaukee, setting a franchise single-game scoring record.
Antetokounmpo surpassed Michael Reed's 57 points set on November 11, 2006, setting a new record. The two-time NBA MVP shot 20-of-28 from the field and 24-of-32 from the free-throw line in the Bucks' 140-126 victory.
He's an unstoppable player," Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said. "You can't defend him one-on-one. We have some really good people around us, but at the end of the day, everything is his own – his talent, his abilities, his will. He has an incredible desire to win, and he will do whatever it takes to win.
Every point he gets, he does it the right way. He made the right choice. He attacks the basket. It's something that's internal to our team, and that makes him a unique individual. He can probably do that every night, but he's a team first guy and I love the way our team comes together behind him. That's what makes this night special. ”
He set a career-high scoring record without hitting a three-pointer, making him the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to score 60 points without making a 3-pointer. They are the only two players to have such high scores in the last 30 years.
While Antetokounmpo's record-breaking performance would have made it a night to remember, the post-match continued.
After the win, Antetokounmpo believed the Pacers had taken the game ball that night and took it with them. In response, Antetokounmpo and several other members of the team rushed into the tunnel leading to the Feather Forum Pacers locker room in an attempt to chase them for the basketball. After the parties dispersed, both teams returned to their dressing rooms and the situation seemed to have been resolved, but the post-match interviews made things even more confusing.
What happened after the game was unfortunate," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "There is a misunderstanding about the ball in the game. It was Oscar Zibwe's first NBA score. So we always get the ball for the game. We grabbed the ball and a few minutes later several of their players were in our hallway. ”
During that riot, Carlisle also claimed that Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan was elbowed in the ribs.
The Bucks' telecast** clearly showed that Bucks security eventually got the ball and handed it over to a team staff member.
I don't know," said Brother Alphabet. "I'm not going to lie. I do not know. I do not know. I don't really know. I do not know. I have a ball, but I don't know if it's a match ball. To me, it's not like a game ball. It feels like a brand new ball. I can tell that I played 35 minutes today?I know what it's like to play with the ball. The ball I have, I'll definitely give it to my mom, but I don't know if it's really a match ball.