Giannis Antetokounmpo was infuriated when Chris Paul pushed him during a play in the 4th quarter of the Bucks' loss to the Spurs.
The game between the San Antonio Spurs (21-24) and the Milwaukee Bucks (26-20) was a close one before the end of the third quarter when the home side managed to get a big lead, which pushed them to a 144-118 win.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
39
|
| Victor Wembanyama | |
| Points | 30 |
| Accuracy | 9-20 |
| Rebounds | 14 |
| Assists | 1 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, while Chris Paul had 12 points and nine assists for the winning side.
The biggest story of the night, however, was the heated exchange between the two players, despite the fact that Victor Wembanyama recorded 30 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and six blocks - three of them against Antetokounmpo.
By halftime, the Bucks were leading by one point at the AT&T Center. However, they were outscored by 15 points in the third quarter and 12 points in the final quarter. The way the Bucks lost control of the game might’ve been one of the reasons why Giannis got frustrated.
With under four minutes to go in the final quarter, the Spurs had a 20-point lead. Antetokounmpo received a pass from Taurean Prince in the paint and tried to rush to the basket while being guarded by Paul and Jeremy Sochan.
Giannis made contact with the 39-year-old Spurs veteran and fell on the floor, taking the ball out of bounds with him. After the incident, the Bucks superstar was infuriated and was seen pointing at Paul, yelling, “You,” while he was still on the floor.
Players, coaching staff, and the game officials had to intervene to contain the situation before it went out of control.
After the game ended, Giannis was still holding onto his anger. The 30-year-old stood on the floor saying, “I’m here" to CP3 and asked him to come his way. The two players continued to have a heated verbal exchange from a distance.
After the final buzzer, Antetokounmpo waited for Paul in order to have another word with him.
"People that know me, they don't try me," Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game.
"If you try me, it's a different side. If you try me, you're gonna get that different side of me," he added.
"I don't know if I was tripped or I was pushed. At the end of the day, I think we're all men. We all respect one another."If words cross the line, then there's got to be consequences.
I don't say much to start with, try to play the game the right way. If I feel like you're putting my livelihood, my career, and my body in jeopardy, in danger, enough is enough brother. I have a family to feed, and what makes you laugh can also make you cry sometimes."
"Giannis is as levelheaded as anybody in our league," Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said. "So, if he was upset at something, I'm going to probably guess something happened."
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