By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Milwaukee Bucks secured a 140-126 victory over the Indiana Pacers, but the true highlight of the game was Giannis Antetokounmpo’s historic performance. The Greek Freak set a new personal best and broke the Milwaukee franchise record, previously held by Michael Redd, with an astounding 64 points and 14 rebounds.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s a great feeling, being able to do it,” Antetokounmpo expressed. “As much as I can, I try to play basketball for the right reasons. I try to play basketball to win, try to play basketball to help my teammates be great, but at the end of the day, being able to break this record in front of the fans here in this stadium, it’s a great feeling, too.”
Giannis achieved an impressive 20/28 field goals and 24/32 free throws, making him the first player in NBA history to accomplish at least 20 field goals and 20 free throws in a game while shooting at least 70% on each. Moreover, he set a record for the most points with fewer than 30 field goal attempts in a game in NBA history.
Additionally, he joined the elite company of Shaquille O’Neal as the only player to score 60 or more points without making a three-pointer. Interestingly, the only active player with a 60-point performance on 70% shooting before Giannis was his teammate Damian Lillard.
In the remaining matchups and standout performances from European players, Bojan Bogdanovic secured an impressive 33 points in the Detroit Pistons’ 111-129 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Amidst a high-scoring encounter, the New Orleans Pelicans emerged victorious over the Washington Wizards with a score of 122-142. Jonas Valanciunas contributed significantly to the winning effort, achieving a double-double with 16 points and 18 rebounds. On the Wizards’ side, Bilal Coulibaly added 16 points, Deni Avdija scored 13, and Danilo Gallinari contributed nine points.
In a hard-fought contest, Toronto triumphed over Atlanta 135-128, with Dennis Schroder recording 17 points. Jakob Poeltl achieved a notable double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. For the Hawks, Bogdan Bogdanovic notched 20 points, and Clint Capela secured a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Securing 10 rebounds, Alperen Sengun fell just one point short of a double-double in Houston’s 117-104 victory over Memphis. Meanwhile, Jusuf Nurkic posted a strong performance with 15 points and an impressive 22 rebounds in the Phoenix Suns’ narrow 112-116 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets.
In a closely contested match, the Utah Jazz secured a 117-113 victory over the New York Knicks. Lauri Markkanen led the charge with 23 points and eight boards, while Simone Fontecchio added 15 points.
Lastly, despite another stellar performance from Victor Wembanyama, who scored 30 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and recorded six blocks, the San Antonio Spurs experienced a 119-122 loss to the LA Lakers, their 18th in a row.
NBA results:
Detroit – Philadelphia 111-129 (Bogdanovic 33p, Hayes 6p, 6as)
Washington – New Orleans 122-142 (Coulibaly 16p, Avdija 13p, Gallinari 9p – Valanciunas 16p, 18r)
Miami – Charlotte 115-104
Toronto – Atlanta 135-128 (Scrhoder 17p, Poeltl 15p, 13r – Bogdanovic 20p, Calepa 17p, 10r)
Houston – Memphis 117-104 (Sengun 9p, 10r – Aldama 7p)
Milwaukee – Indiana 140-126 (Giannis 64p, 14r)
San Antonio – LA Lakers 119-122 (Wembanyama 30p, 13r, 6b, Osman 5p, 7r, Sochan 5p, 8r)
Phoenix – Brooklyn 112-116 (Nurkic 15p, 22r)
Utah – New York 117-113 (Markkanen 23p, 8r, Fontecchio 15p – Hartenstein 7p, 6r)
NBA standings:
Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics 17-5
2. Milwaukee Bucks 17-7
3. Orlando Magic 16-7
4. Philadelphia 76ers 16-7
5. Indiana Pacers 13-9
6. Miami Heat 14-10
7. New York Knicks 13-10
8. Brooklyn Nets 13-10
9. Cleveland Cavaliers 13-11
10. Toronto Raptors 10-14
11. Atlanta Hawks 9-14
12. Chicago Bulls 9-16
13. Charlotte Hornets 7-15
14. Washington Wizards 3-20
15. Detroit Pistons 2-22
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Timberwolves 17-5
2. Oklahoma City Thunder 15-7
3. Dallas Mavericks 15-8
4. Denver Nuggets 16-9
5. Los Angeles Lakers 15-10
6. Sacramento Kings 13-9
7. Houston Rockets 12-9
8. Los Angeles Clippers 13-10
9. New Orleans Pelicans 14-11
10. Phoenix Suns 13-11
11. Golden State Warriors 10-13
12. Utah Jazz 8-16
13. Portland Trail Blazers 6-16
14. Memphis Grizzlies 6-17
15. San Antonio Spurs 3-20
-Teams ranking first through sixth advance directly to the Playoffs
-Teams ranking seventh through tenth compete in the Play-Ins