Bucks’ Giannis says inability to score lunch not a big deal

Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics Sunday, April 22, 2018, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Milwaukee Bucks win a playoff game but couldn’t score a table at a Mexican restaurant.

Antetokounmpo says the social media-fueled mess over the missed meal isn’t a big deal.

The food flare-up started after a Bucks fan posted a picture on Twitter of the All-Star forward waiting at BelAir Cantina on Sunday.

Earlier that afternoon, Antetokounmpo’s putback with 5 seconds left helped the Bucks beat the Boston Celtics in Game 4 to tie their first-round playoff series. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Boston.

The fan’s post went viral. He says Antetokounmpo stayed 10 minutes before leaving. The restaurant later posted a message on social media apologizing for not seating Antetokounmpo in “as timely a manner as we would have hoped.”

The forward told reporters in Boston on Monday that he left only because his ankle was bothering him. Antetokounmpo missed a couple of games late in the regular season with a sore right ankle.

Antetokounmpo says he knows the restaurant’s owners and calls them “really good people.” He added that he plans to take up the owners’ offer to pay for his next meal.