Giannis steps in to safe sport ball for L.A. rookie – ESPN

MILWAUKEE – With the Los Angeles Lakers main by as many as 31 factors in Saturday’s 119-95 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks, the one drama of the night got here after the ultimate buzzer, when Lakers gamers tried to safe the sport ball to current to their rookie teammate after he scored his first NBA factors.
After Lakers rookie Adou Thiero scored 4 factors — together with a raucous dunk within the last minute — Lakers ahead Jarred Vanderbilt held onto the sport ball when the sport ended and held it below his left arm as he exchanged postgame pleasantries with a number of Bucks gamers.
Earlier than Vanderbilt might take the ball again to the locker room, nevertheless, crew chief Pat Fraher approached Vanderbilt, took the ball away from him after which walked the ball to heart courtroom to current it to a Bucks workforce attendant.
“I went to seize the ball,” Vanderbilt mentioned. “The rookie scored his first factors, that is what occurs within the league.”
Fraher informed the Lakers gamers that the ball belonged to the Bucks.
“He mentioned it is not my ball to provide away, which was like … I’ve by no means heard that,” Lakers guard Austin Reaves mentioned.
Vanderbilt mentioned the referee informed him he deliberate to self-discipline him for his actions.
“[Fraher] mentioned he will write me up,” Vanderbilt informed ESPN. “I do not know what the hell he is speaking about. These refs, they simply need to have their energy or one thing, I do not know. I do not know what he was reaching for. That is been a factor since means earlier than I used to be within the league. What, was he going to take the ball residence or one thing?”
Noticing the commotion at heart courtroom, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo intervened by taking the ball from the workforce attendant and handed it to Lakers star Luka Doncic.
“That reveals quite a lot of class,” Reaves mentioned of Antetokounmpo.
And it confirmed some progress.
The custody battle over the sport ball was far much less contentious than the final time a scenario like this occurred in Milwaukee almost two years in the past when the Indiana Pacers had been making an attempt to get the ball to provide to rookie Oscar Tshiebwe on the identical evening that Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 64 factors, resulting in a heated confrontation within the again hallway.
This time had a cheerful ending, with Doncic presenting the ball within the locker room to Thiero, who made his NBA debut Saturday after lacking the primary 13 video games of the season whereas recovering from an April surgical process on his left knee.
“At first I did not understand it was all for me,” mentioned Thiero, chosen by the Lakers with the No. 36 choose within the second spherical after L.A. traded up twice on draft evening to take him. “However I am very grateful for this workforce. I believe that reveals how linked we’re and the way a lot we would like one another to succeed.”
Thiero (rhymes with “hero”) was one in all a number of bench contributors in opposition to the Bucks, as L.A. handled two late scratches to the beginning lineup — Marcus Smart (sickness) and Rui Hachimura (sore left calf) — and proceed to await LeBron James’ return from sciatica, which might happen as quickly as Tuesday in opposition to the Utah Jazz.
The victory gave the Lakers a 3-2 report to finish their five-game highway journey, bringing them to 10-4 general, No. 4 within the Western Convention standings.
“Both means, I am glad he bought [the game ball],” Vanderbilt mentioned of Thiero. “He deserves it. That is a big-time achievement, accomplishment, scoring your first NBA factors. Particularly in a win.”

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