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Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks ran roughshod over the visiting San Antonio Spurs. Antetokounmpo’s 31 points, 14 rebounds and two assists overwhelmed the Spurs on both ends of the floor.
The performance quickly got the reactions of fans:
"Better than that fraud in Denver"
Giannis Antetokounmpo took 23 shots, making 14 of them, and also hit 2 of 5 from the free-throw line. The Spurs are the worst in the entire NBA in defensive rating (119.1) and allow the most points to opponents (122.0 PPG.) They are the worst in these categories by a wide margin.
The Spurs were also undermanned and were playing the second night of a back-to-back on the road. Things just didn't seem great for them heading into tonight's game against the best team in the NBA record-wise.
San Antonio's lethargic defense and Antetokounmpo's all-out effort on both ends of the floor resulted in an insanely terrific night for him. He didn't even play the entire fourth quarter as his team finished the demolition job.
The win raised the Bucks' record to 52-20, putting them 2.5 games ahead of the idle Boston Celtics (50-23). They're likely to win another division title before potentially becoming the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has flown under the radar when it concerns the MVP rankings. He's currently third in the MVP race behind Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.
He's been criminally underrated since December. The Bucks had a 22-10 record after losing 118-100 to the Brooklyn Nets. They were fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Three months forward, they have lost just 10 games, grabbing the best record in the NBA. His team has been unquestionably the best in that span and he has been putting up MVP-level numbers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo rightly deserves to be in the thick of the MVP race.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is desperate to win another NBA title
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship in 50 years in 2021. He won the NBA Finals MVP after dropping 50 points against the Phoenix Suns to close out the series.
In an interview with Sam Amick of "The Athletic," Antetokounmpo had this to say about winning another championship:
"I'm obsessed. I'm scared to lose what God has gave me and the life that I've provided for my kids and my brothers and for my mom, you know? I'm scared. So I f***king work as hard as I can, because I don't want to lose this s**t.
"And it's not gonna stop until I'm out of this league. So I do have the trophies somewhere. But I try not to look at them, because I want to win another one. I do want to. But I don't want to go and say it. I don't want to beg. I want my game to speak for itself."
Every night, he shows this desperation. He's one of the most accomplished players in the history of the NBA, but he goes on to perform as if he has not won anything.
The Milwaukee Bucks will be happy to have that desperation heading into the playoffs.
You may also want to read: Why does Giannis Antetokounmpo wear number 34? Reason behind ‘unique’ jersey number explored
