Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was the star of the weekend as he erupted for 50 points in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 135-110 blowout victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.
The Greek-Nigerian outshone Cameroon and Philadelphia 76ers’ big man Joel Embiid, who scored 47 points, grabbed ten rebounds, had three steals, and had two blocks in the battle against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and his Denver Nugget teammates.
Antetokounmpo added 13 rebounds, four assists, made three of his four 3-pointers, and shot seven of twelve from the free throw line while only playing 30 minutes in the game. He tied a career-high with ten 40-point or more games in a season.
Giannis tied a career-high with 10 40-point games in a season.
50 PTS | 13 REB | 4 AST | 77 FG% pic.twitter.com/u1u1NegknU
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 30, 2023
The 50-point performance was his second in the month of January after hitting a career-high 55 points against the Washington Wizards and the sixth of his NBA career.
After the game, the 2023 NBA All-Star Eastern Conference captain revealed he wants to keep performing at the highest level and producing outstanding achievements with the aim of showing his kids when they grow older.
He said: ”They might say, `Daddy, you’re boring. You’re lame. We don’t want to see your highlights. We’ve heard so much about you. We want to watch Scooby-Doo’ or whatever the case might be.”
“I’m just going to keep creating the way people in the past created, the way I can go back and watch Magic Johnson highlights, Kevin Garnett highlights, Kobe Bryant highlights, Allen Iverson highlights, KD’s highlights, and LeBron’s highlights. They’ve created so much art throughout the years, and we can go back and see it and admire what they did, Tim Duncan too,” Antetokounmpo added.
The Bucks took an early 18-point lead in the first quarter, but the Pelicans tied them for points in the second and third quarters, with both teams scoring 69 points apiece.
Although the Pelicans had seven scorers in double figures, the Bucks led 29-22 in the final quarter to win the game with a 25-point difference, handing their opponents their eighth straight loss.
The Bucks won their fourth consecutive game and improved to a record of 33 wins this season, the third-best in the league, and they are currently third in the Eastern Conference standings, behind the Boston Celtics and Embiid’s 76ers.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.7 points, 12 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 33.4 minutes per game as he continues his push for a third MVP award in five years.
Giannis BALLED OUT tonight dropping a 50-piece in a @Bucks W!
His big-time performance earns him the @YahooFantasy Player of the Night 🔥
50 PTS | 13 REB | 77% FG | 68.6 FPTS pic.twitter.com/Zth0kUfIqh
— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) January 30, 2023
