MILWAUKEE — Entering this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo, for all his brilliance, had simply three 50-point video games to his identify. He now has two within the final month. In yet one more ridiculous efficiency, Antetokounmpo completed with 50 factors, 13 rebounds and 4 assists on 20-of-26 from the sector within the Milwaukee Bucks’ 135-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Guy had a hell of an evening, made it look straightforward all evening lengthy,” Khris Middleton mentioned. “Playing environment friendly, enjoying dominant, he is enjoying unstoppable, enjoying just like the MVP once more. We want that from him each evening, and he is aware of that.”
With this efficiency, Antetokounmpo turned the sixth participant in NBA historical past to have a number of 50-point video games on at the very least 75 p.c capturing from the sector. The others are Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Kyrie Irving and Adrian Dantley; not a nasty record to hitch.
Facing a Pelicans crew that was severely shorthanded on account of quite a lot of accidents, Antetokounmpo determined to set the tone early. He had 9 factors within the first three minutes and 52 seconds, because the Bucks jumped out to an early 14-2 lead. Neither he nor the crew ever appeared again.
“I used to be simply making an attempt to be aggressive,” Antetokounmpo mentioned. “Trying to get downhill, making an attempt to get to my spots, making an attempt to work on myself, making an attempt to get again in rhythm, simply making performs. This is my fourth sport again, simply making an attempt to get again in rhythm as I mentioned, tried to make performs and generally it really works out in your favor. This was a kind of occasions that it labored out in my favor.”
The Bucks led wire-to-wire, and had been up by double-digits for the whole second half. Despite the massive lead in opposition to the Pelicans’ B crew, Antetokounmpo stayed in down the stretch. He wasn’t simply in there to get some further cardio both; he knew precisely what he was doing as he poured within the factors in rubbish time.
He scored 12 factors in a two-minute span, together with back-to-back 3-pointers to achieve 50 factors.
“Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. I knew [I was on 47 points], Antetokounmpo mentioned. “I made the primary 3 and I knew that if I’m in a position to get the rebound I’m simply gonna shoot it. As I mentioned, it would not at all times work out in your favor, however tonight it did… It’s a kind of moments that you would be able to by no means take with no consideration, since you by no means know if you happen to’re gonna have that second once more. I’m joyful, glad that I used to be in a position to create artwork like this one tonight.”
After this outing, Antetokounmpo has two 50 level video games this month, 10 40-point video games this season — already tied for probably the most 40-point video games in a single season in his profession — and is averaging a career-high 31.7 factors per sport. He won’t be taking nights like these with no consideration, but it surely feels secure to say we’ll be seeing at the very least a number of extra earlier than the season involves a detailed.
