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With just over 10 seconds to play in the fourth quarter on Sunday, Giannis Antetokounmpo was jumping high on the court, a huge smile etched on his face. He had just launched a thunderous slam to put the Milwaukee Bucks up three over the Los Angeles Clippers and send the limited fans inside the Fiserv Forum into euphoria.
One misfire from Kawhi Leonard and two free throws from Khris Middleton later, the Bucks had a 105-100 win to extend their winning streak to five straight games. The season hasn’t quite gone as planned for the Bucks, but things are starting to improve for the title hopefuls. Jrue Holiday is back in the lineup after a 10-game absence, and after Sunday’s win they moved up to first place in the Eastern Conference.
“We have to keep working,” Giannis said after the victory. “We have a long way to go. We have to keep playing good basketball, keep making the right decisions, building up good habits and hoping that in the end it will all work out.”
But while Giannis wasn’t ready to claim the team had taken a turn, his performance was another reminder that while the Bucks haven’t been their usual dominance this regular season, they are capable of beating n ‘ anyone in the league. when he’s playing his best basketball.
His last line reads like a video game: 36 points of 15 of 27 from the field, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. But the way he completely took over the fourth quarter and guided the Bucks home was the most impressive aspect of Giannis’ afternoon. There was an incredible amount of talent in the game, but he made it clear that he was the best player on the pitch.
Giannis played the entire fourth quarter and collected 17 of the Bucks’ last 22 points. In fact, he nearly matched the Clippers’ total for the quarterback (19 points) on his own. But he wasn’t just doing it on offense. He’s also had a number of key defensive plays, including one of the best blocks of the season on Ivica Zubac.
In his last 10 games, Giannis has averaged 33.5 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists, while shooting 55.2% from the field. He even seemingly solved his free-throw issues and shoots 75% of the board during that time. The Bucks’ slow start to the season eclipsed what he was doing at an individual level, but on Sunday he made sure he couldn’t be ignored.
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