On Wednesday night, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 64 points in the team’s victory over the Indiana Pacers, establishing a new franchise record for points scored in a game. After the contest concluded though, one of the coaches for the Pacers took the game ball to award to rookie Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first career point on a free throw. Seemingly apoplectic and vexed, Antetokounmpo sprinted with full force into the tunnel to try to obtain the game ball as a Bucks official tried to hold him back.
The Pacers have a tradition where they award the basketball to the rookie on the night they score their first career point; however, Antetokounmpo did ultimately receive a game ball. Antetokounmpo, however, expressed that he is not sure if it is the one used during the game, stating that it does not feel the same.
During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday, FS1 analyst Nick Wright explained how the Pacers-Bucks rivalry has been enhanced through the league’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. The unique event, which concluded last week in Las Vegas, Nev., featured a semifinal matchup between the two teams to determine which team would represent the Eastern Conference in the tournament final. In that game, the Pacers defeated the Bucks 128-119 but went on to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers two nights later, finishing as runners-up in the contest.
“This is actually a sign of success from the In-Season Tournament because the Pacers and Bucks have like real friction now,” Nick Wright said. “You know what I mean? They played in a meaningful game [and] Indiana won, and so now that is like a budding potential rivalry, so I like that part of it.”
As it pertains to Wednesday’s contest though, the incident after the game overshadowed the dominant performance from Antetokounmpo. Patrick feels that the Bucks forward could have demonstrated more decorum rather than chasing somebody down as if he had been attacked. He also shared that he is not sure if Antetokounmpo knew about the Pacers’ tradition, nor is he aware about how long it has been going on.
“Have you checked in with your dear friend Reggie Miller about [if] this actually [is] a Pacers tradition?,” Nick Wright asked Dan Patrick. “You guys are talking about calling JJ Redick. You call JJ Redick – he’s just going to talk about how all sports television shows suck and how we just need to dissect what Horns action is. Instead, you should call Reggie and ask him.”
Redick’s basketball acumen has been on display as an analyst since joining ESPN in 2021, and he recently became a member of one of the network’s NBA broadcast teams. During a game earlier this year, he told a producer live on the air that the game broadcast was not First Take when being prompted to answer a question about the best duo in the league.
