Giannis ejected after head-butting incident, Bucks top Wizards

August 12, 2020
|In Bucks
|By Zach Heilprin

Giannis Antetokounmpo missed Monday’s game against Toronto following oral surgery. The Milwaukee Bucks star suited up for Tuesday’s matchup against Washington but didn’t last long.

Antetokounmpo was thrown out of the game in the second quarter after head-butting Moe Wagner.

The incident came after Antetokounmpo was called or an offensive foul when he tried to drive through Wagner. The two started talking once the play stopped and eventually Antetokounmpo dropped his forehead into the side of Wagner’s head. The former Michigan product sold the hit well and Antetokounmpo was hit with a Flagrant 2 and ejected.

Prior to the incident, Wager put Antetokounmpo on the ground while trying to box him out.

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“Terrible action. If I could go back, turn back time, go back to that play I wouldn’t do it,” Antetokounmpo said afterwards. “At the end of the day, we’re all human and make mistakes. I think I’ve done a great job all year, in my career, of keeping my composure and focus on the game. But at the end of the day, as I said, we’re human, we make mistakes.”

Antetokounmpo said his outburst had very little to do with Wagner. Instead it was the result of pent up frustration from the entire season.

“I think it was just a whole build up of dirty plays in my mind. Guys tripping me, guys falling in front of my feet, pulling me, hitting me and all that,” Antetokounmpo said. “In my mind, all these games I’ve played guys hitting me, so I lost it for a second.”

It’s unclear if he could face further punishment. The Bucks have one more seeding game before the playoffs start, so they have a bit of a buffer if Antetokounmpo is suspended.

As for the game, Milwaukee beat the Wizards 126-113. Playing without Khris Middleton, Eric Bledsoe and Wesley Matthews, the Bucks got 24 points from Brook Lopez and 23 from Sterling Brown off the bench.

Before exiting, Antetokounmpo had 12 points and nine rebounds in just 10 minutes of action.

The win improved their record in the bubble to 3-4. They’ll close out the seeding games on Thursday against Memphis.