Giannis Antetokounmpo drops career-high 64 points, Bobby Portis ejected as Bucks fly past Pacers

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks avenged their NBA in-season tournament loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Leading the Bucks past the Pacers 140-126 at Fiserv Forum, Antetoknmpo sank 64 points, a career-high. That broke Michael Redd’s 2006 Bucks franchise record. After beating the Bucks in the in-season tournament semifinals in Las Vegas last week, the Pacers won.

A heated fourth-quarter rally by the Bucks led to a 14-point triumph. Bucks forward Bobby Portis was dismissed for defending Antetokounmpo after a harsh paint foul.

He was thrown to the ground in the lane by Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith early in the fourth quarter as he drove to the rim. After Nesmith fell for a shot fake, the move seemed unintentional.

Before Nesmith and Antetokounmpo could separate, Portis charged in to push him. After a brief figҺt, the participants were separated. Thanasis, Antekounmpo’s younger brother, lost it on the bench and was restrained.

Portis was removed after Nesmith and Portis received technical fouls. Portis scored 19 points in 23 minutes on 8-of-13 shooting.

The Bucks led 111-98 when Portis was ejected. They started the fourth quarter on a 22-8 run, forcing Adrian Griffin to withdrаw his starters after Antetokounmpo reached 58 points. After a Pacers surge, Antetokounmpo returned to seal the win for Milwaukee with two free throws, a layup, and a dunk in the final seconds to reach 64 points.

Bucks star Antetokounmpo was unstoppable. While scoring 58 points, he grabbed 14 rebounds and shot 20-28 from the field. His 24-of-32 free throw attempts set a career high.

Antetokounmpo set two of the Bucks’ top three single-game scoring records in 2023. He had three 50-point games against the Pacers, including Wednesday. The league’s first 60-point game since Damian Lillard’s 71 last season with the Portland Trail Blazers was his. Before being moved to Milwaukee, Lillard scored the last two.

Khris Middleton had 11 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, and Lillard had 21 points and five assists.

Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 22 points and 7 assists in the loss. Also, Myles Turner had 22 points and 9 rebounds. Only two Indiana starters scored in double figures.

After the buzzer, Antetokounmpo yelled at Haliburton and other assistants on the court before running into the tunnel. The Pacers apparently took the game ball to the locker room, which Antetokounmpo demanded back. Back on the court, he did a typical Bally Sports Wisconsin interview.