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Giannis Antetokounmpo guided the Milwaukee Bucks to a win over the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
The reigning champions started their run in the postseason with a 93-86 win in a hard-fought match that ended with an old-school score.
The two-time MVP and reigning Finals MVP scored 27 points and grabbed 16 rebounds despite facing some foul trouble throughout the game. It was his 30th career game in the NBA Playoffs with at least 25 points and 10 boards.
Still, his effort and his teammates' display were enough to beat Chicago and start what Milwaukee hopes to be a successful title defense.
It was a rough shooting night for the other members of Milwaukee's Big Three. Khris Middleton scored 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting, while Jrue Holiday netted 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting.
Brook Lopez, on the other hand, recorded 18 points on 7/14 shooting to help carry the scoring load.
Top 3 games where Giannis Antetokounmpo scored the most points in the first round of the NBA Playoffs
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the three finalists for the 2021-22 NBA MVP award, alongside Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets).
The announcements regarding the winners of the regular-season awards will be made during the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Given the criticism received by Antetokounmpo before winning the 2020-21 NBA championship, many might believe that he struggled every time in the postseason. However, most of his numbers suggest otherwise.
In this article, we will look at Giannis Antetokounmpo's three highest-scoring games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs so far.
#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo's 35 points vs Orlando Magic | 2020 NBA Playoffs
The 2020 NBA Playoffs weren't pretty for the Milwaukee Bucks, and their second-round exit at the hands of the Miami Heat proves that. Of course, the team was in its best form right when the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the 2019-20 NBA season. The group wasn't the same at the Orlando bubble.
Early on, the Bucks fell in the first game of their first-round matchup against the Nikola Vucevic-led Orlando Magic. After the surprising loss, they won the series in five games.
In Game 3, Milwaukee took a comfortable 14-point win over Orlando. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 points on 12/14 shooting (85.7% FG percentage - the highest of his postseason career) during the game. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out seven assists in 30 minutes.
Antetokounmpo averaged 30.6 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists per game in the five-game series.
#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo's 35 points vs Boston Celtics | 2018 NBA Playoffs
In the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs, the well-rounded Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in a hard-fought seven-game series.
In Game 1 of that series, Boston took a 113-107 win at home, overcoming Giannis Antetokounmpo's 35 points in the matchup and Khris Middleton's 31. The Greek Freak scored 11 of his 21 field goals and made 13 of his 16 free throws in that game.
Moreover, Antetokounmpo grabbed 13 rebounds and recorded seven assists in 44 minutes. In the series, he averaged 25.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game while making 57% of his shots.
#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo's 41 points vs Detroit Pistons | 2019 NBA Playoffs
After putting up his first NBA MVP-winning regular season, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks entered the 2019 NBA Playoffs as clear contenders in the Eastern Conference.
In the first round, the team made a good statement, sweeping the Detroit Pistons with four blowouts. In the closeout game, Antetokounmpo put up what was his playoff career-high back then, with 41 points.
Antetokounmpo sealed the series in Milwaukee's favor after making 12 of his 23 field goals and 15 of his 20 free throws. He also grabbed nine rebounds and had four blocks in the game while only playing around 32 minutes.
In the series, he averaged 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 3.5 assists with a 52% field-goal percentage.
The Bucks made a deep postseason run that year. However, they fell in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals against Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors, the eventual 2019 NBA champions.
Guess the Lakers players!
