Watch: Giannis Antetokounmpo gets contentious ejection after 2nd technical for dunk celebration
Giannis Antetokounmpo often has an emotional outburst after a highlight-reel play or a crucial bucket. He often looks at the crowd or flexes his muscles to emphasize his point. Antetokounmpo’s passion for basketball is greatly appreciated by fans. He is one of the NBA’s biggest crowd-drawers for his enthusiastic on-court expressions.
Against the Detroit Pistons, one of the referees thought he had overdone his celebration and did this:
Fans at the Fiserv Forum couldn’t believe what they had just seen. Their two-time MVP was given a technical foul for mean-mugging Pistons center Isaiah Stewart off an explosive dunk. The second technical foul meant that he was out of the game.
Bucks fans in the crowd rained boos on the referee who called the technical foul. They felt like Giannis Antetokounmpo had done the same thing a hundred times and had never been assessed with such a call. Even sports analysts covering the game couldn’t understand why he had to be penalized for the celebration.
The seven-time All-Star refused to go to the locker room after he was ejected. He even went back to the bench, crossed his legs and kept on talking to the referees. It was only after some of his teammates and the training staff ushered him out did he decided to leave.
Giannis Antetokounmpo exited the game with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks in 22 minutes. Bobby Portis, Jae Crowder and Brook Lopez are expected to play more minutes in his absence.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks continue to have a roller-coaster ride
The Milwaukee Bucks were seen as one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference following their acquisition of Damian Lillard. Most analysts consider the Antetokounmpo-Lillard tandem as perhaps the best in the NBA right now.
It has not been smooth sailing for the Bucks, though. They alternated wins and losses in the first five games of the season. Lillard and Antetokounmpo have rarely played well at the same time. The Bucks had a two-game winning streak heading into the game against the Pistons and looked like they had turned a corner.
Detroit’s 43-28 third-quarter surge, however, could be Milwaukee’s downfall. That and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ejection could be too much for them to overcome. The Bucks trail the Pistons 111-103 with 6:09 left in the fourth quarter.
The two-time MVP’s absence could galvanize the team for one last rally to pull a come-from-behind win. They will need Damian Lillard to put on his cape and carry them home.