Giannis Antetokounmpo Put a Chip on Dwight Howard, Sixers' Shoulder

Dwight Howard was fired up about Giannis' actions in overtime.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Put a Chip on Dwight Howard, Sixers' Shoulder
Giannis Antetokounmpo Put a Chip on Dwight Howard, Sixers' Shoulder /

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was feeling himself late in the game on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. 

After a rough first half, the Greek Freak and the Bucks came out looking much better in the final two quarters as they formed a comeback from a double-digit deficit.

Although the game needed overtime for closure, the Sixers were visibly exhausted as they were on the second night of a back-to-back. At that point, Giannis took advantage. 

In the second half, Antetokounmpo drained eight of his 14 shots for 18 points. In overtime, he was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for 10 points. 

At a point, as Antetokunmpo was hitting everything, the Bucks star took a seat down at midcourt on the Sixers' logo at the Wells Fargo Center, which drew boos from the crowd and frustration from the Sixers. 

After the game, Sixers veteran big man Dwight Howard didn't hold back when asked about the questionable gesture. "I wanted to go and stone-cold stunner him," Howard said with a serious face.

"You know, it's basketball, and we want to have fun, but we'll see these guys again. We don't want to make a big scene about what he did. Today, we allowed them to get back in the game. So, what he did -- we can't control that."

While Howard was clearly frustrated with Antetokounmpo's actions, he still gave credit to the Bucks' superstar after his 32-point effort in the comeback win over Philly.

"He had a hell of a game," Howard continued. "He made some tough shots at the end of the game -- reigning MVP -- he had a great game. I'm not one to talk trash and say anything negative, but we'll see them again, and it'll be a different result."

The 76ers and the Bucks will meet again on April 22nd for the first matchup of a back-to-back series between the two teams. At that point, the Sixers should have Joel Embiid back in the mix as he's set to return from his knee injury in a couple of weeks. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.


Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA