MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Bucks coach Adrian Griffin was at a loss for words for the “unstoppable” Giannis Antetokounmpo, as he also lost track of his star forward’s points scored against the Indiana Pacers on Dec 13.
The “Greek Freak” erupted for a career-high 64 points as the Bucks avenged last week’s National Basketball Association (NBA) in-season tournament exit to the Pacers with an ill-tempered 140-126 home victory.
“He’s an unstoppable player. You can’t guard him one-on-one. You’ve got some really good guys surrounding him, but at the end of the day, it’s all him,” Griffin said on ESPN.
“His talent. His ability. He has an incredible will to win, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win. I’m just coaching the game and one of the coaches told me, ‘Giannis has 50. I had no idea’. But wow, what a great performance.”
The former NBA Most Valuable Player 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 NBA lived up to its billing.
“It’s a great feeling, being 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, to help my teammates be great, but being able to break this record in front of the fans here in this stadium, it’s a great feeling, too.”
Milwaukee were dumped out of the in-season tournament semi-finals in Las Vegas last week by the Pacers and were clearly determined to avoid a repeat of that loss before their home crowd.
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.
Milwaukee’s 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 also 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’ franchise record so we grabbed the ball and a couple of minutes later several of their players ended up in our hallway,” he said. “There was a big fracas... I don’t think any punches landed but our general manager got an elbow in the ribs.
“Unfortunate situation. Things are heated and I understand all that. But for it to come into the hallway – it didn’t need to happen that way.”
In San Antonio, 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 Spurs 122-119.
The Lakers, missing LeBron James because of a sore calf, looked to be cruising after leading for almost the entire game and opening up a 20-point advantage early in the fourth quarter.
But a stunning fightback by the home team – who erupted for 45 points in the final quarter – left the Lakers clinging on towards the end of regulation before they eventually scraped home.
No. 1 draft pick Wembanyama excelled down the stretch with 14 points but the San Antonio rally fell just short, with Davis nailing four straight free throws to give the Lakers a five-point cushion in the closing seconds.
The Spurs fell to a franchise record-extending 18th straight defeat as Wembanyama finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, three steals and six blocks, earning admiration from Davis.
“Obviously there’s a lot of pressure on him, No. 1 pick,” he said.
“But he can play. He’s been struggling a little bit but he showed up tonight – a generational talent.” AFP
