The Indiana Pacers have made a strong statement this season, recording applaudable on-court results to rank fifth in the Eastern Conference. However, the Pacers, boasting talents like Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, couldn’t avert Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance in their recent matchup.
Amidst a surprise fracas that broke out between Giannis and the Pacers, head coach Rick Carlisle of the Pacers has claimed a major injury occurred in the incident, while a promising rookie got denied a game ball.
Pacers HC claims GM got elbowed in the ribs
Giannis Antetokounmpo, delivered a mind-blowing performance against the Indiana Pacers recently, by breaking the Bucks’ long-standing single-game scoring record with 64 points, in a memorable 140-126 win over the Pacers, which placed him above Michael Redd’s 57 points in 2006.
Following the fracas that evolved when Giannis tried to claim the game ball, which the Pacers took before Giannis could, the Pacers’ head coach Rick Carlisle made a strong claim in his post-match briefing. He stated that the team’s General Manager, Chad Buchanan, got injured in the ribs after one of the Bucks’ players elbowed him.
Head coach Carlisle said, “I don’t think any punches were landed, but my general manager got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players. He certainly has a bruised rib and who knows if it’s anything more than that?”
Footage from a viral video showed the 2-time MVP trying to run up the tunnel to the Pacers’ locker room after a failed attempt to stop him” by a member of the Bucks team. Soonest, Giannis emerged from the tunnel and engaged in a shouting encounter with Pacers’ assistant coach Lloyd Pierce and star point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Nevertheless, head coach Rick Carlisle, despite refusing to mention any player that got into a fracas and melee in the tunnel to the Pacers’ locker room, strongly stated that Giannis was among the four or five Bucks’ players that were involved.
Pacers rookie denied the game ball by Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s milestone night of 64 points, ended with utter chaos, as the star got engaged in a massive fracas with the Pacers, over game ball ownership. Before the Bucks’ security eventually retrieved the ball for the two-time MVP, Giannis, had engaged in a verbal exchange with Tyrese Haliburton and Pacers’ assistant coach Lloyd Pierce.
It was quite difficult to unravel the reason(s) of the Pacers taking the game all, but Bleacher reporter Chris Haynes disclosed that the Pacers wanted to award rookie Oscar Tshiebwe, for achieving his first NBA points from the free throw.Insider Haynes explains what a member of the Pacers told him initially, “They wanted to give it to a rookie who scored his first career basket.”
The rookie Oscar Tshiebwe is a Congolese undrafted Pacers signing. The 24 years old promising star, played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers (2019-2021) and the Kentucky Wildcats (2021-2023). The young star has achieved commendable feats so far, like the Consensus National Player of the Year in 2022, and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award in 2022, among other awards.
Nevertheless, while Oscar seems a promising talent, the achievements of his first basket in the NBA, against a Giannis Antetokounmpo-led team, are quite applaudable, many believe that Giannis’ career point is much more significant than Oscar’s first points.
