“Best player in the NFL” - Fans post rib-tickling reactions as Torrey Craig loses a tooth following a collision with Giannis Antetokounmpo
Phoenix Suns forward Torrey Craig lost a tooth following a collision with Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday. The incident occurred with eight minutes left in the third quarter of the game when Antetokounmpo drove the ball near the baseline, with Craig guarding him in transition.
The Suns' forward laid on the floor for nearly 10 seconds before he got up searching for his tooth. Here's a clip of the play (via SportsCenter on Twitter):
Torrey Craig lost a tooth on this play after colliding with Giannis 😳 https://t.co/bj9tSsoJcT
Phoenix eventually called a timeout after gaining the defensive board. Craig eventually got back on the floor after the timeout. The referees surprisingly didn't issue a foul on Giannis, believing Craig flopped.
NBA and Phoenix Suns fans online, in particular, were unimpressed with the decision as they picked on Giannis Antetokounmpo. One fan wrote:
"Giannis is the best player in the NFL"
@SportsCenter Giannis is the best player in the NFL
More reactions followed:
@SportsCenter Giannis was like “yep I knocked his tooth out” https://t.co/EeScsryuK3
@SportsCenter Bros tryna make it to the NFL
@SportsCenter The refs https://t.co/2NSzhoHbSF
@SportsCenter maybe it’s just me but seems like a guy who knocks out a player’s tooth should have, at the very least, been called for a foul.
@SportsCenter Giannis the offensive charge machine !!
@SportsCenter twitter.com/zonahoops_/sta…
He’s just allowed to be Derrick Henry I guess.
@SportsCenter giannis thinks this is football 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
@SportsCenter giannis playing like he jerome bettis😭
@SportsCenter @DameDeadAF Best running back in the nba Royce O’Neal or Giannis? @yungmustard23 @GOBBY789
That ain’t the WWE damn… twitter.com/sportscenter/s…
And now you know why them mfs wear mouthpieces twitter.com/sportscenter/s…
i feel like he holds the record for most unfortunate shots to the face taken twitter.com/SportsCenter/s…
Phoenix Suns left unimpressed with officials as Giannis Antetokounmpo draws 24 trips to the foul line
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a solid game against the Phoenix Suns. Antetokounmpo used his physicality on offense on a night when he wasn't as efficient from the floor. He made 11 of 23 shots to score 36 points. Giannis scored 14 from the charity stripe on 24 attempts.
Meanwhile, the Suns only made 16 trips to the foul line as a team. Suns coach Monty Williams expressed his frustration with the whistles Giannis got compared to his players, saying:
"I can sit there and go through what you all guys already know. You just put my name on the quote. You saw it. It's not fair. Book (Devin Booker) got 3 free throws, and Jrue Holiday is one of the most physical defenders in the game. He has three. Giannis has 24 free throws. It's ridiculous. There's no other way to put it."
He added:
"DA (DeAndre Ayton) can't play when a guy just runs into you the whole game, it's like we've dealt with this so many times with this team. And credit to him - he saw the way the game was being called, he kept doing it,"
Monty Williams calls out the refs after Giannis Antetokounmpo attempted more free throws than the entire Suns team
“It’s not fair. Book had 3 free throws”
(h/t @DuaneRankin ) https://t.co/9FR9Mhcxcc
Antetokounmpo is one of the best drivers in the game. His seven-foot 250-point frame allows him to use his physicality to create separation and finish at the rim through traffic. He is an inefficient free-throw shooter, so opposition teams often have no issues fouling him to make him earn his points. The eventual scoreline favored the Bucks by 12 points, and it may have been different if not for Giannis making 24 trips to the foul line.
However, the free-throw disparity irked the Suns. Williams claimed it's always been an issue while playing against the Bucks, as the referees tend to favor Giannis Antetokounmpo more. The "Greek Freak" leads the league in total free throw attempts (690) and free throws per game (12.8).