Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s 43 points and 13 rebounds, the Milwaukee Bucks lost 113–107 to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Yet after the game, Celtics players expressed their irritation with Antetokounmpo and his behavior on the court. Jaylen Brown was particularly blunt with his feelings about the Bucks star.
“Giannis is a child,” Brown said, via NBC Sports Boston. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win. And that’s what we did tonight.”
If Brown’s irritation was about Antetokounmpo’s fake handshake, something you might see from a fourth-grader on the playground, it seems rather humorless. However, he was asked about an offensive foul Antetokounmpo committed before the exchange down the court and that does more to explain Brown’s response.
On the play in question, Antetokounmpo swung his left elbow around and hit Brown in the side of the head as he was attempting a shot in the lane.
Heading back down the court, Antetokounmpo attempted a hand-slap or handshake with Brown, as if to say, “No hard feelings.” Brown was about to grudgingly acknowledge the gesture. But when Antetokounmpo pulled his hand away to slick through his hair, that showed insincerity.
If Brown was already upset about being elbowed in the head, the fake handshake surely angered him. He effectively let Antetokounmpo know about it with a hard foul in the fourth quarter that was called a Flagrant 1.
Asked about Brown calling him a child, Antetokounmpo acted surprised.
“Oh, that’s what he said?” he responded. “Dang.”
That wasn’t the only controversial play Antetokounmpo was involved in on Sunday. Earlier in the game, he extended his left leg out while Jayson Tatum shot a 3-pointer. That caused Tatum to roll his ankle as he landed on Antetokounmpo’s foot.
Antetokounmpo wasn’t called for a landing spot foul, which Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla complained about after the game.
“That’s ridiculous,” Mazzulla told reporters. “Can’t miss that. Can’t miss that.”
“I could’ve been out for 6 weeks… for it to be a no-call… that s*** is frustrating.”
Jayson Tatum reacts to missed call on Giannis where he rolled his ankle, and how he kept his composure pic.twitter.com/YaG45RrUr5
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 11, 2024
Understandably, Tatum was upset about the non-call and his sore ankle as well.
“There’s certain calls I feel like you can’t miss,” Tatum said. “Your job is to protect the guys on the court, protect the shooter. That’s something, I could’ve been out for six weeks or whatever.”
“For it to be a no-call, let alone they didn’t even get to review it or look at it, then I lose my s***, cuss somebody out, then I get a tech, it’s like a double whammy,” he added. “That s*** is frustrating.”
Tatum finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds, while his team also got the win. A game between the Celtics and Bucks would’ve seemed like a potential Eastern Conference playoff matchup going into this season. Yet because of Milwaukee’s struggles, a postseason bid looks questionable at this point. But there’s plenty of the season to be played.
The Celtics and Bucks play again on Dec. 5 in Boston.