Pacers: Rick Carlisle Drops Ball on Giannis Antetokounmpo Post-Game Misunderstanding

(Photo : Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Giannis Antetokounmpo (#34) of the Milwaukee Bucks exchanges words with Tyrese Haliburton (#0) of the Indiana Pacers following a game at Fiserv Forum on December 13, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Giannis Antetokounmpo made Milwaukee Bucks history after dropping a career-high 64 points in his team's win over the Indiana Pacers, 140-126, on Wednesday, December 13, at the Fiserv Forum.

That performance allowed "The Greek Freak" to wrest the franchise-scoring record, eclipsing the previous high of 57 points by Michael Redd in 2006. It was also a new career-high for the two-time NBA MVP, besting his previous one of 55 points when the Bucks won over the Washington Wizards, 123-113, in January, per Fox Sports.

However, the game did not exactly end peacefully. There was an issue with the game ball, which drew Giannis Antetokounmpo's ire. The Pacers took it after rookie Oscar Tschiebwe scored his first career point.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyrese Haliburton shared a heated exchange following the game. pic.twitter.com/OO8rcyfuog
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 14, 2023

Carlisle tries to clear the air

In the post-game interview, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle tried to shed some light on the issue via Bleacher Report.

"There was a misunderstanding about the game ball. It was Oscar Tshiebwe first official NBA point so we always get the game ball. We were not thinking about Giannis' franchise record. So we grabbed the ball and a couple of minutes later, several of their players ended up in our hallway," Carlisle said.

He would later share that things just got out of hand. Although no punches were thrown, Carlisle said that his general manager got elbowed in the rib by one of the Bucks' players.

When asked to name who it was, the 64-year-old chose not to divulge any name. While he understands that the two teams have met three times already and the competition was getting heated, it didn't have to result in that melee.

"Things are heated with the competition. And I understand all that. But for it to come to the hallway... it didn't need to happen that way.

"We don't need the official game ball. There are two game balls there. We could have taken the other one. It didn't need to escalate to that," the NBA champion coach rued.