Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 64 points for Milwaukee on Wednesday night. He wanted the game ball.
An assistant coach for Indiana grabbed the ball and took it to the Pacers' locker room. Giannis was livid, racing around to chase the ball down. The Pacers GM got elbowed in the ribs. A fight nearly broke out.
Over a ball.
A Pacers player, Oscar Tshiebwe, scored his first-ever NBA points. The Pacers wanted to give him the ball, and probably did.
Giannis got a ball, which he surmised (probably correctly) isn’t the actual game ball.
It was an exercise in petty. Tom Petty.
If it’s my call, the ball goes to Tshiebwe.
Giannis set a personal high and a franchise record by scoring 64 points. But he didn’t drop 100 like Wilt Chamberlain.
Giannis has had plenty of big moments and figures to have many more. This was Tshiebwe's first career highlight and might be his last.
It’s a bit difficult to believe that only one ball gets used in an entire NBA game.