It was only a matter of time before Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the club.
Antetokounmpo left Tuesday night at the Fiserv Forum, dropping a career-high 55 points in the Milwaukee Bucks’ 123-113 victory over the Washington Wizards.
His performance marked the fourth 50-point game in as many days in what has been a wild streak in NBA basketball.
“He’s been phenomenal,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. via Bally Sports. “It’s hard to find all the words to describe him. He was incredibly special tonight.”
The Bucks led for most of the competition on Tuesday and ended the first half on a 15-0 run that stretched into nearly the final four minutes of the second quarter. That flurry gave them a 12-point lead at the break, a lead the Wizards struggled to reduce on several occasions.
The closest they got was within two near the start of the fourth quarter after a free throw from Daniel Gifford, but the Bucks quickly took the lead again and took the 10-point victory – thanks in large part in Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo dropped 12 of the Bucks’ last 14 points of the night en route to the win, their second in three games. He shot 20 of 33 from the field and added 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Brook Lopez lost 21 points and 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, and Bobby Portis added 17 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 22 points and nine rebounds, and Kyle Kuzma added 20 points and four rebounds.
Antetokounmpo’s 55 points mark the 14th 50-point game of the season. By comparison, there were only 19 such games in the league last year. Donovan Mitchell, who scored 71 points, and Klay Thompson scored at least 50 in their respective games on Monday. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic had 51 points on Saturday.
Antetokoumpo has also scored at least 40 points in the Bucks’ last three games. He averaged 47.6 points and 17.3 rebounds during that streak, something only Bob McAdoo and Moses Malone have done in the last 50 years. He’s averaging 32.1 points and 11.8 rebounds this season, both of which are third-best in the league. Only Doncic and Joel Embiid, respectively, score more.
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