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Jaylen Brown calls Giannis Antetokounmpo a “kid” after a high-five fakeout.

MILWAUKEE — Jaylen Brown thought Giannis Antetokounmpo acted like a child on Sunday. And Antetokounmpo said he would do it again if he had the chance.

Early in the second quarter of a 113-107 Celtics win over the Bucks, Antetokounmpo received an offensive foul for elbowing Brown in the face during a post move. After the play, Antetokounmpo extended his hand as if to give Brown a high-five, but withdrew his arm at the last moment, like an uncle would with a niece or nephew.

“Giannis is a kid,” Brown said after the game. “I'm just focused on helping my team win. And that’s exactly what we did tonight.”

When told that Brown was annoyed by Antetokounmpo's joke, the Bucks forward was surprised.

“Obviously it’s a joke,” Antetokounmpo said. “We play basketball, but at the same time you have to have fun while playing. I think he's an incredible player. He does everything he can to help his team win. Extremely competitive player. We have played against each other many times.

“We always – I think – joke during the game. This is something I do with my children. I'm playing around. “Oh, give me a high five.” “Ope, you're too slow.” I just did it. But I had fun. It was fun.”

With 6:52 remaining in a tied game, Brown received a flagrant foul after throwing Antetokounmpo onto the court while driving for a shot attempt. Brown said he wasn't thinking about the earlier incident between the two players when he hit Antetokounmpo with the hard foul.

“I just play basketball,” said Brown, who scored 14 points in 37 minutes in his first game back after missing four contests with a left hip flexor strain.

Antetokounmpo's two free throws after the flagrant foul gave Milwaukee a 97-95 lead, but the Celtics scored the next six points to take a lead they never relinquished. The Bucks fell to 2-8 on the season despite Antetokounmpo scoring a season-high 43 points.

After Antetokounmpo was initially informed that Brown took offense at his joke, he asked reporters to clarify.

“Oh, he said that? Damn,” Antetokounmpo said when informed of Brown’s comment. “He said I was a child? I thought I gave him a compliment and he was just making a move on me. But at the same time, that’s exactly who I am. I play the game with fun and joy.”

The two-time MVP then said he might try pranking again if he had the chance another time.

“I’m just going to continue to be myself and at the end of the day, if they call me a kid, so be it,” Antetokounmpo said. “I have three children myself. I have six nieces. I look after a lot of children here, and when you're with a child, sometimes you try to act like that.

It's fun. It's fun to be around her. I just like to go out and have fun, but again: great player, great competitor. If I have another opportunity, I will do it again.”

(Top photo: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)

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