LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo erupted for a career-high 64 points as the Milwaukee Bucks avenged last week’s in-season tournament exit to the Indiana Pacers with an ill-tempered 140-126 victory on Wednesday.
Former National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo was in scintillating form, shooting 20-of-28 from the field with 14 rebounds, three assists and four steals as the clash between the two highest-scoring teams in the league lived up to its billing.
Milwaukee was dumped out of the in-season tournament semifinals in Las Vegas last week by the Pacers and was clearly determined to avoid a repeat of that loss before their home crowd at the Fiserv Forum.
The simmering tension between the teams boiled over in the fourth quarter when Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith wrapped an arm around Antetokounmpo’s neck as he drove for the basket.
Bobby Portis flew in to defend his teammate before being dragged away in an ugly melee that involved officials and coaching staff from both benches.
The acrimony flared again after the final buzzer with Antetokounmpo and other Milwaukee players racing off the court to confront members of the Pacers team.
Antetokounmpo, whose 64 points marked a franchise record, later re-emerged back onto the court to remonstrate with Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the post-game fracas was triggered over a misunderstanding about the game-ball, snaffled by the Pacers after their Congolese rookie Oscar Tshiebwe scored his first NBA point off the bench.
“We were not thinking about Giannis’s franchise record so we grabbed the ball and a couple of minutes later several of their players ended up in our hallway,” Carlisle said.
“There was a big fracas, melee, whatever. I don’t think any punches landed but our general manager got an elbow in the ribs from one of their players.”
“Unfortunate situation. It didn’t need to escalate to that.”
“Third time we’ve played these guys in the past two to three weeks so things are heated and I understand all that. But for it to come into the hallway — it didn’t need to happen that way.”
Elsewhere, Anthony Davis scored 37 points as the Los Angeles Lakers held off a dazzling late rally led by French prodigy Victor Wembanyama to edge past the San Antonio Spurs, 122-119.
The Lakers, missing LeBron James after Tuesday’s defeat in Phoenix, looked to be cruising after leading for almost the entire game and opening up a 20-point advantage early in the fourth quarter at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center.
