There were some fireworks at the end of Tuesday night’s game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Sacramento Kings. According to De’Aaron Fox, Kings players took umbrage with how Giannis Antetokounmpo dribbled out the clock at the end of the Bucks’ 133-124 win, which led to Trey Lyles shoving the two-time NBA MVP in the back. Brook Lopez didn’t like that, which led to a brawl between the two squads.
“Giannis could just dribble the ball out,” Fox said after the game. “That’s all he had to do, and nothing would have happened.”
During his postgame press conference, Antetokounmpo expressed his appreciation for Lopez, and said that when the NBA hands out a fine for the incident, he plans on footing the bill.
“To be honest with you, I didn’t understand what happened,” Antetokounmpo said at the 4:20 mark of the above video. “They told me that he pushed me in my back. I didn’t know if he pushed me or he — you know, because I’m not seeing, I didn’t fall. I just kind of keep on moving, and then I just saw Brook being upset, and he usually is not that upset. He was yelling, ‘Don’t do that again, don’t push him like that.’ Then I realized, oh man, he pushed me in my back. And obviously, I appreciate Brook having my back. That’s my guy, not just on the court, off the court for life, he’s my guy. And I’m definitely going to pay for his techs. I’m gonna, what you call it? Reimburse him. I already told him. But I just appreciate people having my back.”
There’s no word on how much Lopez will be fined or if he’ll miss any games for the incident.