Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return to court after dental surgery did not last long.
Antetokounmpo was sent off early Tuesday night in the second quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 126-113 win over the Washington Wizards, after meeting Moritz Wagner.
Antetokounmpo was called up for an offensive foul minutes in the second quarter after falling his shoulder in Wagner – something that followed a controversial rebound exchange at the other end.
Antetokounmpo then started talking to Wagner after playing and hit him on the head, which soon earned him a Flagrant 2 foul and an ejection.
“Terrible action,” Antetokounmpo said after the match. ‘If I could go back, turn back time and go back to that play, I would not do it. But at the end of the day, we are all human. We all make mistakes. ”
“We are all human. We all make mistakes.”
Listen to Giannis Antetokounmpo after he was nominated for head coach Moritz Wagner. pic.twitter.com/gMjcvs019r
– FOX Sports Wisconsin (@fsw Wisconsin) August 12, 2020
He said he did not specifically think he was frustrated with Wagner, but that it was the ‘whole build-up’ of plays that put him off.
The move did not sit well with Wizards star Bradley Beal, who tweeted quickly after the incident. Beal is not involved in the restart of the season in the treatment of a straight shoulder injury.
“That was a very strange few seconds,” said Wizards coach Scott Brooks, via Fred Katz of The Athletic. ‘I thought Moe stepped in and took a load. That’s what you need to do … A few seconds later he got a head-butt. There is no room for that. Giannis, I have a lot of respect [for] … It’s a shame it happened. ”
Antetokounmpo finished the night with 12 points and nine rebounds in 10 minutes. He missed their loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday night after he finally needed dental surgery, something he did not have to leave the bubble for.
What kind of punishment will Antetokounmpo face?
The Bucks had no trouble cruising past the Wizards without Antetokounmpo.
Washington never led once in the blowout win, and the Bucks pushed their lead rapidly to 22 points in the third quarter before sticking for the 13-point win.
Brook Lopez led Milwaukee by 24 points while shooting 9-of-11 from the floor, and Sterling Brown fell 23 from the bench. Rookie Rui Hachimura dropped 20 points in the loss to the Wizards, who are still looking for their first win in the bubble. Ish Smith added 19 from the bench, and Thomas Bryant put up 13.
The Bucks have already secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference and will take over the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs after their final seeding game on Thursday. It is unclear what penalty the league will face after the playoffs on Tuesday night, however anything more than a one-game suspension would mean the Bucks would have to enter the playoffs without the reigning league MVP.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo is stepping down from court after being sent off in the first half against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. (Ashley Landis – Pool / Getty Images)
