Giannis Talks 'Unfortunate' Game-Ball Incident After Scoring 64 for Bucks vs. Pacers

Giannis Antetokounmpo and multiple Milwaukee Bucks teammates got into a heated argument with Pacers players and staff members over a game ball after Wednesday night's game in Indiana.

Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 64 points in the 140-126 win and angrily sprinted back to the Pacers locker room alongside teammates in search of the ball, which Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said his team took to give to rookie Oscar Tshiebwe in honor of him scoring his first NBA point.

Antetokounmpo and Carlisle called the altercation "unfortunate," but the Bucks star said he wanted the game ball not to honor himself but to recognize teammate Damian Lillard, who passed Kyle Korver to move into fifth on the NBA's all-time three-pointers list.

"I understand. When you score your first point in the NBA, you want to have the ball or whatever the case may be," Antetokounmpo told reporters. "But at the end of the day, you're talking about the guy that just skipped Kyle Korver in the all-time list. In my opinion, we should all stop what we're doing and appreciate greatness."

In the end, neither side seems to know who ended up with the correct game ball. Carlisle said the Pacers have a reserve game ball, while Antetokounmpo does not believe he received the ball that was used in the game.

"I have no idea. I'm not going to lie," Antetokounmpo said. "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."

Antetokounmpo finished with 64 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and four steals as Milwaukee avenged its Play-In Tournament loss to the Pacers. His points total shattered the Bucks' previous franchise scoring mark, which belonged to former All-Star guard Michael Redd (57 points).

The NBA could look into the incident and hand down some sort of punishment for Antetokounmpo and Bucks players who entered the Indiana locker room area.