Milwaukee Bucks: Top 3 individual performances from the 2018-19 NBA season

The Milwaukee Bucks played some of the greatest basketball the franchise has ever played this year, and Giannis Antetokounmpo was the cornerstone of this success as he helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals with some stellar performances.

He is the frontrunner for the most prestigious NBA regular-season MVP award and averaged a monster double-double over the season for a second straight year. With his strong outings, he decimated the opposition teams and gave the Bucks' fans some great moments to cherish forever.

They reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001 and eventually lost to a sensational Toronto Raptors team in six games. In this article, we take a look at the top three individual performances for the Bucks this year.

#3 Giannis Antetokounmpo @ Cleveland Cavaliers - 44 points

Giannis' 44 points lifted the Bucks over Cavaliers

Stat line: 44 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks on 73.6% shooting

The Milwaukee Bucks started their three-game road trip with a game in Indiana against the Pacers, and Giannis had arguably his worst game of the season in a 16-point loss. However, two days later, the Bucks were in Cleveland to take on a struggling Cavaliers team and Giannis erupted for 44 points to take his team home.

The Bucks were without two of their starters but Giannis' masterclass performance kept them in the driver's seat for pretty much the entire game. He ended the game with 44 points and 14 rebounds, his 20th double-double of the season.

The visitors never trailed and even though the Cavs tried to make a comeback towards the end, Giannis made some crucial plays down the stretch to push the lead to 111-99.

Final Score: Milwaukee Bucks 114-102 Cleveland Cavaliers

#2 Giannis Antetokounmpo @ Philadelphia 76ers - 45 points

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 45 points for the Bucks

Stat line: 45 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks on 59.1% shooting

This was a very special performance for Giannis as he helped the Bucks lock up the top seed in the East with yet another superb outing. He successfully outdueled Philadelphia center Joel Embiid and finished the game with a strong double-double that included 45 points and 13 rebounds.

He was dominant in the paint and made his way to the basket, fighting traffic on several occasions. Using his body, he was able to draw a lot of fouls and eventually went 16-21 from the free-throw line.

The MVP frontrunner also had a clutch block on Embiid towards the end and then assisted Brown's layup that gave the Bucks a 123-119 lead. The 76ers wouldn't make a comeback.

Final Score: Philadelphia 76ers 128-122 Milwaukee Bucks

#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo vs Philadelphia 76ers - 52 points

Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped a career-high 52 points but the 76ers ran away with the win

Stat line: 52 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a block on 57.6% shooting

It is Giannis Antetokounmpo who once again features on this list as the 'Greek Freak' had the best game of this season against a really good Philadelphia team, erupting for 52 points on a red-hot 15-for-26 shooting.

Giannis, who had just 17 points at the half, tallied 35 in the second half on 10-for-13 shooting. He also went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line during that period. However, Joel Embiid responded strongly for the Sixers and finished with 40 points and 15 rebounds.

With 1:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, Antetokounmpo knocked down a three-pointer that extended the Bucks' lead to 4. Unfortunately for the Bucks, they could not save the lead and lost the game eventually.

Final Score: Philadelphia 76ers 130-125 Milwaukee Bucks