11:37 PM ET
Jamal CollierESPN
Jamal CollierESPNMilwaukee – Giannis Antikonmo He scored 50 points on 17 of 21 rebounds Tuesday night to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 128-119 win over the Indiana Pacers.
The 21 attempts were the fourth lowest in a 50-point game in NBA history.
“Efficiency…it’s…it’s Giannis,” Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He’s special. It’s hard to fathom 50 on 21.”
It was Antetokounmpo’s first 50 points since Game Six of the NBA Finals last year, when his performance helped earn Milwaukee a championship. It was the first time he had turned 50 in a regular season since November 2019 (and third time in a regular season overall).
| general | player | FGA |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Adrien Dantley | 17 |
| 1994 | Willie Burton | 19 |
| 2021 | Damian Lillard | 20 |
| 2022 | Giannis Antikonmo | 21 |
| – ESPN stats and information |
Antetokounmpo’s 50 points is his highest of the season, and he’s also added 14 rebounds and four assists, making him the third player in NBA history to have 50 points and 10 rebounds while also shooting 80% from the field. Wilt Chamberlain (four times) and Karl Malone.
“It’s special to see her in person,” Bucks said right away Jordan Noura He said. “What’s really crazy is that he makes it look so easy. I think I looked at him when he scored his 50th point, to the cheering of the crowd, and it was like, ‘Man, he’s barely sweating.'” He’s still full of energy in the locker room after he does. That. It’s just part of being one of the greatest players ever.”
Antetokounmpo caused the most damage on Tuesday from inside the paint, penalizing the Pacers for 26 points there, while matching a season high with seven dives.
And when Indiana sent him to the free-throw line, he knocked it down as well, finishing 14 of 18 of the bar.
“I get upset when I miss the free throws,” said Antetokounmue. “Like, I work hard. I love when I do my free throws. It gives me rhythm, makes me feel good. I can miss all 3, and I can miss my free throws, but when I do my free throws it’s like hitting the dopamine because I work so hard to make them.”
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“It just makes the game easier, it makes me able to drive the ball all the time. I’m excited to go to the free-throw line, and I’m not second-guessing myself anymore.”
After missing Monday’s loss to the Trail Blazers with a left ankle injury, Antetokounmpo said he felt much better on Tuesday and did not expect the injury to continue. And he scored 19 points in the fourth quarter and hit all his seven shots from the field, which is the most number of field goal attempts without any player making mistakes this season in the last quarter.
Antetokounmpo missed his last three free throw attempts that night, which would have given him a chance of a career high of 52 points. But while he was aware of the missed opportunity, he wasn’t too concerned about the chance of achieving the best results on a personal level.
“Obviously it feels great to have 50, you always remember, but I’m interested in winning,” he said. “I want to win games. The 50s, 40s, 30s all that stuff, the accolades will come, but it only comes with winning. If your main focus, is winning, you do whatever it takes to finish the game. Sometimes it’s like, shooting more. Sometimes You have to defend more. Everything else comes along, but if you’re thinking of letting me get 50, let me get 50, it doesn’t work that way. You have to focus on winning.”
