A few weeks ago, the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks were the subject of drama when Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't find the game ball following his franchise record 64-point game. The drama was intense enough that the Pacers went out and signed an enforcer immediately after. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was noticeably in the middle of the fiasco, having stood face to face with Antetokounmpo at one point.
On an appearance as part of ESPN's NBA Christmas Day coverage, Haliburton gave his thoughts on the whole incident.
“We know exactly where the game ball is!… You could touch the ball 5 minutes [after the game], and you’re not gonna know what was the [game] ball.”
Tyrese Haliburton on the game ball scuffle after Giannis’ 64-point game 👀
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/gHUnvkxvQl
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 25, 2023




“We know exactly where the game ball is, everyone knows where the game ball is. That's not on us to tell you. The people who have the ball should tell you where the ball is,” Haliburton said. “You could touch the ball five minutes later and you're not gonna know what was the game ball.”
Tyrese Haliburton was referring to Giannis Antetokounmpo remarking after the Pacers and Bucks game that he was in possession of a ball but he wasn't sure that was the actual ball used during the game. The little budding rivalry between the Bucks and the Pacers began during the in-season tournament with the Pacers eliminating the Bucks.
Should the regular season end today, the Bucks would hold the second seed in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Pacers are currently in eighth place and would be in the play-in tournament. If these standings hold, it's possible that the Pacers and Bucks could get a first round playoff matchup which would be must-see TV.