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Thanasis Antetokounmpo is in hot water over his actions in the Bucks’ Thursday night loss to the Celtics. Antetokounmpo was seen giving Boston veteran Blake Griffin a headbutt in the final minutes of play.
The forward was quickly ejected for the unsportsmanlike act, and he’ll now await potential punishment from the team and league. Fans have been quick to comment on the bizarre scene online.
The move came out of frustration for Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the brother of MVP teammate Giannis. Milwaukee was blown out in their latest Eastern Conference matchup as they look to keep pace atop the NBA standings.
At 55-22, they currently hold the No. 1 overall seed in the playoff picture. The Celtics are hot on their tail, however, sitting just two games back following their latest head-to-head win.
Not only did the Bucks lose on Thursday, but it came in blowout fashion.
Milwaukee trailed from the get-go, falling behind 34-26 in the first quarter of play. They were outscored in every ensuing period, finding themselves down by nearly 30 points by the halftime break.
The Bucks took a 21-20 lead eight minutes into the game. The Celtics would grab a quick basket, though, and would never trail again.
Those frustrations led Thanasis Antetokounmpo to deliver a headbutt to Blake Griffin after a shot attempt under the basket with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
Thanasis with the headbutt on Blake Griffin 🫣
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 31, 2023
The pair had apparently gotten into a bit of a tie-up the play prior, too. Antetokounmpo was quickly tossed for his actions.
Fans hopped on social media to post reactions to the wild scene. Here’s what they had to say.
One person joked, “He lead with the crown of his helmet. That’s an automatic player disqualification.” Another said, “Thanasis acts so hard but hasn’t realized the only reason he’s on a team is because he’s Giannis brother.”
With the loss, the Bucks find themselves in a battle for the top seed with just five games remaining in the regular season. They might have to play a game or two without Antetokounmpo following this headbutt incident.