The Milwaukee Bucks secured their second consecutive win after defeating the Detroit Pistons 127-120 in overtime on Wednesday night in a game that saw Giannis Antetokounmpo filling up the stat sheet.
The Greek Freak finished with 59 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and three blocks on 21-for-34 shooting from the field and 16-for-17 from the free-throw line. Milwaukee Bucks fans knew Giannis Antetokounmpo was in for a big night after scoring 22 of the team’s 24 first-quarter points.
When the game went to overtime, Antetokounmpo continued to put the Milwaukee Bucks on his back, outscoring the Detroit Pistons 11-9. According to ESPN, he is the first Milwaukee Bucks player to go 5-for-5 or better in a single overtime period since play-by-play was first tracked in 1996-97.
Giannis Antetokounmpo said it was one of those nights he needed to do the heavy lifting since the team was without Khris Middleton, Damian Lillard, and Bobby Portis.
“Coming into this game I realized I have to be aggressive,” Antetokounmpo said. “While I was doing that, it was not working. We were down by 15, 18.”
“In the second half, I had to keep my aggressiveness but keep on moving the ball. Now as a leader, you keep on going with that energy and mentality. Sometimes you’ve got to be able to do both,” he added.
Giannis Antetokounmpo hits career milestone in Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Detroit Pistons
The 59 points scored by Giannis Antetokounmpo is the most by a player in the NBA this season. Not only did Giannis Antetokounmpo pick up the scoring slack for the Milwaukee Bucks, but he also played big on the defensive end.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was two blocks away from reaching 1,000 career blocks before the game, and his breakthrough moment came in the third period when he swatted away Wendell Moore Jr’s layup attempt after receiving a pass from Jalen Duren.
The Milwaukee Bucks needed this win given their struggles early this season. They can extend their winning streak to three straight when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
