Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo makes astonishing NBA history vs. Nets
01/03/2025 12:34 AM
The Milwaukee Bucks haven’t exactly been playing their best basketball in the aftermath of winning the NBA Cup over two weeks ago. But that hasn’t stopped Giannis Antetokounmpo from being as dominant as ever, win or lose. Despite the Bucks’ 113-110 loss to the struggling Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night that was made all the more heartbreaking by a spirited comeback attempt that fell just short, Antetokounmpo can say that he once again did his best, tallying 27 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and three blocks while shooting 12-24 from the floor.
In so doing, the Bucks star extended a historic streak that underscores just how dominant he is of a scorer, especially in the paint. According to StatMamba on X (formerly known as Twitter), Antetokounmpo now has 26 straight games with at least 20 points on 50 percent or better field-goal percentage — the longest such streak in NBA history.
As one would have it, Antetokounmpo has played 26 games this season, which means that he hasn’t yet put up a game in which he shot below 50 percent from the field or a game in which he scored fewer than 20 points. The Bucks star has been playing at an MVP-level all season long, and he would be among the favorites to bag home the award if the Bucks were playing better than they’ve been thus far this season.
It’s quite a feat for Antetokounmpo to be the holder of this record even though he’s not the typical paint-bound center whom one would think would be more predisposed to such an accomplishment. It’s a marvel that Shaquille O’Neal, the man who’s lauded for being the most dominant paint scorer of all-time, was not able to string together something like this.
Bucks fall despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s continued brilliance
Now, no one can fault Giannis Antetokounmpo for the Bucks’ defeat against the Nets. He scored a game-high 27 and made many great defensive plays to keep his team in the ballgame. But Antetokounmpo’s Achilles heel has always been his production from the charity stripe, and his misses from the line did end up hurting his team.
Antetokounmpo went 3-10 from the foul line on Thursday night; if he made the same number of free throws his percentage on the season would suggest (six), then the Bucks might have forced overtime or not have needed to mount such a huge comeback in the first place. Nevertheless, the Bucks will look to get back to winning ways on Saturday when they take on the Portland Trail Blazers.
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