New footage emerges of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s furious postgame standoff with Pacers players after they stole his 64-point game ball – as tunnel clip shows them shouting at him: ‘You’re not getting that ball’
- Buddy Hield and Myles Turner instructed teammates to keep the ball in the clip
- Antetokounmpo confronted Lloyd Pierce and Tyrese Haliburton shortly afterwards
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New footage has emerged of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo's postgame standoff with the Pacers during a game ball on Wednesday. The footage showed players taunting the Greek Freak as he tried to grab the ball from Indiana in the tunnel.
The clip shows what was said during the interaction before Antetokounmpo stormed onto the court to confront Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce and guard Tyrese Haliburton.
A security guard repeatedly shouts “Get out of here” into a crowd of arena staffers and Pacers players.
Shooting guard Buddy Hield then repeatedly instructed his team to “Keep it” as the bottleneck broke and the Pacers walked to their locker room. Center Myles Turner also echoed Hield's instructions.
“Do you want the ball?” said an unidentified Pacers player. “You're not going to get that ball.”
New footage has emerged of Giannis Antetokounmpo's interaction with the Pacers in the tunnel
The footage shows Indiana shooting guard Buddy Hield instructing teammates to keep the ball
Center Myles Turner and unidentified players also took part in the heated verbal exchange
“I like that, I like that,” Turner replied.
A Bucks player, who was also invisible from the shot, shouted, “Give him his damn ball,” in the footage.
Antetokounmpo looked to claim the game ball after scoring a career-high and franchise-best 64 points in Milwaukee's 140-126 win. Antetokounmpo also scored 14 points and three assists in just 37 minutes of play.
The Pacers, who hosted the game, planned to hold it for Oscar Tshiebwe after he scored his first NBA point.
After a furious chase, Antetokounmpo received a ball from the Pacers, but shared his doubts about whether it was used throughout the game.
Antetokounmpo furiously pursued the Pacers in pursuit of the game ball after scoring 64 points
Antetokounmpo confronted Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce and guard Tyrese Haliburton
'I have no idea. I'm not going to lie,” the two-time MVP said. 'I have no idea. Don't know. I really do not know. I have a ball, but I don't know if it's the match ball. It doesn't feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand new ball. I can say. I played about 35 minutes today. I know what the game ball felt like.
'I will take the ball that I have with me and I will certainly give it to my mother, but I don't know if it is actually the match ball.'
Another clip from the broadcast suggests that the entire episode was a big misunderstanding. The footage shows an unidentified Bucks staff member retrieving the game ball from an official immediately after the final buzzer.
Damian Lillard trailed Antetokounmpo with 21 points, four rebounds and six assists for the Bucks. Meanwhile, Turner and Haliburton led Indiana's losing effort with 22 points each.
The Bucks and Pacers meet again in back-to-back games scheduled for January 1 and 3.