NBA: Bucks, Pacers square off in dispute over game ball

Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo argues with a Indiana Pacers coach after an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo exchanged heated words with members of the Indiana staff and raced toward the Pacers’ locker room Wednesday night as the teams squared off in a hallway in a dispute over the game ball following the Milwaukee star’s franchise-record 64-point performance.

After the Bucks’ 140-126 victory, Antetokounmpo had an animated discussion with Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton and other Pacers before rushing from the court toward the Indiana locker room in search of the ball.

The Bucks wanted the game ball for Antetokounmpo. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers took the ball for Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first official NBA point.

That led to a confrontation between members of the teams in the arena hallway. Afterward, there still was confusion over who had which game ball.

“I have no idea. I’m not going to lie,” Antetokounmpo said. “I have no idea. I don’t know. I really don’t know. I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand new ball. I can tell. I played, what, 35 minutes today. I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, which I’ll take and I’ll give it to my mom for sure, but I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball.”

One video appears to show the actual game ball being collected by a member of the Bucks’ staff. Carlisle said the Pacers apparently have a reserve game ball they took after the game.

Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo runs toward the Indiana Pacers locker room after an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Bucks guard Cameron Payne said he was one of the players who went down the tunnel.

“Man wanted that ball,” Payne said. “I’m following my team, helping my teammate out. It was just a lot of commotion, honestly. He just wanted his ball, man.”

Carlisle said a number of the Bucks were in the hallway near the Indiana locker room and a confrontation occurred, with Indiana’s general manager getting elbowed in the ribs.

“What happened after the game was unfortunate,” Carlisle said. “There was a misunderstanding about the game ball. … We were not thinking about Giannis’ franchise record, so we grabbed the ball.

“A couple of minutes later, several of their players ended up in our hallway, and there was a big, I don’t know what to call it — a fracas, melee, whatever. I don’t think any punches were landed, but my general manager got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players. He certainly had a bruised rib and who knows if it’s anything more than that. Unfortunate situation.

“We don’t need the official game ball. There’s two game balls there. We could have taken the other one, but it didn’t need to escalate to that. Really unfortunate.”

Carlisle cited the teams playing three times in the last few weeks and said that things were heated between the teams. Indiana knocked off Milwaukee last Thursday night in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas.