By Cesare Milanti/ info@eurohoops.net
During the NBA Night, Giannis Antetokounmpo pushed the Milwaukee Bucks to a comeback win against the Los Angeles Clippers, and most importantly he did it by delivering another 50-point performance.
The Greek superstar, who will be one of the captains in the recent All-Star Game alongside LeBron James, posted up a double-double of 54 points and 19 rebounds while shooting 21/39 from the field, ending the 7th game with at least 50 points in his NBA career.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is on top of the list of Europeans with 50-point games in the NBA, followed by Luka Doncic, Dirk Nowitzki, Nikola Jokic, and Tony Parker. The Slovenian superstar of the Dallas Mavericks has had 5 of them, the German legend 3, while the Serbian and the French had one each.
EUROPEAN PLAYERS WITH 50+ NBA GAMES
|
1 |
Giannis Antetokounmpo |
7 |
|
2 |
Luka Doncic |
5 |
|
3 |
Dirk Nowitzki |
3 |
|
4 |
Nikola Jokic |
1 |
|
5 |
Tony Parker |
1 |
It’s the second 50-point game in a short period of time for the Bucks‘ leader, who already dropped 50 points against the New Orleans Pelicans on January 30. At the beginning of 2023, he almost had a monstrous triple-double of 50 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.
His previous games with at least 50 points came against the Indiana Pacers in the 2021-22 season, against the 76ers in the 2018-19 season, against the Phoenix Suns in the 2020-21 season, and against the Utah Jazz in the 2019-20 season.
Luka Doncic, who scored his career-high 60 points against the New York Knicks earlier in the season, had also three other 50-point games in 2022-23, between December and January.
First against the Houston Rockets, then against the San Antonio Spurs, and finally against the Detroit Pistons. He also performed 51 points against the Los Angeles Clippers last year.
Dirk Nowitzki had his career-high game in the 2004-05 season, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 113-106 OT win against the Houston Rockets. The German legend had 51 and 50 points respectively against the Warriors and the Suns, both in his MVP season.
Finally, Nikola Jokic and Tony Parker end the list with one game each with at least 50 points. The Denver Nuggets big had 50 against the Kings in the 2020-21 season, while the actual ASVEL president scored 55 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves after two OTs in 2008.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images