Giannis Antetokounmpo suggested the Indiana Pacers might have taken the ball that should have gone to him after his 64-point effort on Wednesday.
The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Pacers 140-126, with Antetokounmpo setting a franchise record in the process.
He surpassed the previous record for a Buck, set by Michael Redd in 2006. Antetokounmpo’s previous career high was 55, set against the Washington Wizards in January.
However, Antetokounmpo was angry when the Pacers apparently took the game ball and headed to the locker room, and a fight then broke out.
And the 29-year-old doesn’t know if the ball he received was actually the one used in the match.
“I have no idea. I’m not going to lie, I have no idea – I really don’t know,” he said.
“I have a ball but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. To me it doesn’t look like the game ball – it’s like a brand new ball.
“I played 35 minutes, I know how the ball felt. The ball that I have, that I’m going to take and that I’m going to give to my mother, for sure, doesn’t feel like the match ball.”
“But it doesn’t matter, life will go on. I’ve never seen this before. I don’t know if I have the ball.
“I know they (the Pistons) had the ball. I don’t think (that), I know.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said there was a “misunderstanding” at the end of the game.
He said: “What happened after the match was unfortunate. There was a misunderstanding about the ball.
“It was Oscar Tshiebwe’s first official point in the NBA, so we still got the ball. We weren’t thinking about Giannis’ franchise record, so we caught the ball.
“A few minutes later, several of their players were in our lane, and there was a big, I don’t know what to call it – a fight, a melee, whatever. I don’t think any punch was received, but my general manager was elbowed in the ribs by one of their players.”
Antetokounmpo added 14 rebounds, shot 20 of 28 from the field in this one and made 24 of 32 on free throws.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s a great feeling to be able to do it,” Antetokounmpo said.
“As much as I can, I try to play basketball for the right reason, I try to play basketball to win, I try to play basketball to help my teammates be great, but at the end of the day, being able to break this record. in front of the fans here in this stadium, it’s also a great feeling.”
Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said: “He’s an unstoppable player. You can’t guard him one-on-one. You’re surrounded by really good guys, but at the end of the day, it’s all him.
“His talent. His ability. His will. He has an incredible will to win, and he will do whatever it takes to win. I’m just coaching the game and one of the coaches was like, ‘Yeah, Giannis has 50″…I had no idea.’ But wow, what a great performance.”
