Giannis or Oscar – who took the game ball? Exploring all the possibilities following Bucks-Pacers tunnel square off

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a career-high 64 points in the Milwaukee Bucks' home win over the Indiana Pacers (126-140). The 'Greek Freak' had 14 rebounds as well, while shooting 20/28 from the field and 24/32 from the free-throw line, as the Bucks improved to 17-7 in the East standings and trail the top-seeded Boston Celtics (17-5) by one game.

After the game, there was tension between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Indiana Pacers' players, as the two-time NBA MVP wanted to get the game ball.

It appears that a security guard first took it, then a member of the Pacers took the ball and that's when Antetokounmpo went to the tunnel and things got heated. The Bucks' megastar said he didn't have the real ball, while Indiana players were not willing to give it to him, with Myles Turner getting the ball and giving it to rookie Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first NBA points.

Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle addressed this controversy, saying that the Pacers had a reserve ball that they gave to Tshiebwe.

"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," Rick Carlisle said afterwards, via Sports Illustrated.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says the Pacers had the game ball; unsure if he got the real game ball

Giannis Antetokounmpo was furious with the Pacers and their refusal to give him the game ball and was seen yelling at Tyrese Haliburton before going to the tunnel to take the game ball.

Afterwards, the 'Greek Freak' spoke with the media and said he was unsure whether Indiana players really gave him the game ball.

"I didn't think they had the game ball. I know they had the ball. I have a ball but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me, it feels like a brand-new ball. I can tell. I played 35 minutes today, I know how the game ball felt… I’ve never seen this before," Antetokounmpo said, via Yahoo Sports.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have split wins with the Pacers this season (1-1). The two teams will face each other on January 1 and January 3, respectively, to close the season series.

Last week, the Pacers eliminated the Bucks from the Championship Game of the NBA In-Season Tournament, following their 128-119 win in Las Vegas.