Rick Carlisle on postgame fracas with the Milwaukee Bucks: "It didn't need to escalate to that"

Here’s what Pacers coach Carlisle had to say about the postgame fracas.

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers engaged in a fiery battle that spilled over postgame when Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted the game ball to keep as a souvenir for his 64-point performance.

However, the Pacers apparently had other plans, as they wanted the ball for rookie forward Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first NBA point in the game on Wednesday night. An incident ensued, which Indiana coach Rick Carlisle described as unfortunate.

A misunderstanding

After the final buzzer sounded on the Bucks’ 140-126 victory, Giannis had apparently one thing on his mind: to secure the game ball. However, the Pacers seemingly did not want to cooperate, which led the Greek Freak, Thanasis, and a few other teammates to head over to the hallway leading to the Indiana Pacers locker room in an effort to get the game ball.

LEAKED Audio Of Pacers Refusing To Give Giannis Antetokounmpo The “Game Ball”👀:

“You want the ball? You’re not getting that ball”

Then, Giannis gets heated at Tyrese Haliburton and yells at him: “Go get the f*cking ball! You need to go get it” pic.twitter.com/e9XAQzNZVl

— LegendZ (@legendz_nba) December 14, 2023

Words were exchanged, but fortunately, the situation was de-escalated. Afterward, Carlisle said the incident was nothing but a big misunderstanding.

“What happened after the game was unfortunate. There was a misunderstanding about the game ball. It was Oscar Tshiebwe's first official NBA point, so we always get the game ball. We were not thinking about Giannis' franchise record, so we grabbed the ball,” Carlisle said in the postgame press conference.

“A couple minutes later, several of their players ended up in our hallway, and there was a big, a big ... I don't know what to call it, a fracas, a melee, whatever. I don't think any punches were landed, but my general manager (Chad Buchanan) got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players. So, he certainly had a bruised rib, and who knows if it's anything more than that. Unfortunate situation,” Carlisle shared.

This angle of Giannis running into Pacers tunnel to look for game ball 😳

(via tyschrades/IG) pic.twitter.com/EUTYuK5uIb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2023

Heated competition

Carlisle explained that he understood where all the intensity was coming from. After all, the Bucks had an axe to grind with the Pacers after losing in the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament and had yet to beat Indiana in two meetings prior to Wednesday.

“It didn't need to escalate to that. Really, you know, unfortunate. Third game we've played these guys in 2 1/2, 3 weeks, so things are heated with the competition. I understand all that. But, for it to come into the hallway, it didn't need to happen that way,” Carlisle said.

Controversy erupts as Giannis chases game ball straight into the Pacers' locker room