The Milwaukee Bucks took the court against the Washington Wizards looking to extend their winning run after a thrilling victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

The game was rather close for a large portion of it as both sides traded offensive hits. There were times when the lack of defense on display made the game on the floor look like an All-Star game. Thankfully, the Bucks got it together and picked up a few stops in the waning minutes to finally come out on top. They departed the arena with a 142-129 triumph and kept up their recent hot trend.

Bucks defeat Wizards as Giannis Antetokounmpo dominates and gets closer to joining elite club.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a monster in every manner conceivable over the past few games, and he put up a Herculean performance against Washington to keep up the good work. The Greek Freak finished with 42 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and a block and steal each. He completed all of this in just little less than 34 minutes, demonstrating that he utilized every minute of his time on the floor.

Antetokounmpo’s effectiveness was the main aspect of his performance that caught my attention. He made 20 of 23 shots from the field on his way to 42 points. Giannis scored 40 points in his third-ever game on 85 percent or more of his shots, behind Wilt Chamberlain’s four games with the same stat by just one, according to StatMamba. Giannis shot 87 percent. That is amazing material.

Coach Adrian Griffin summed it up after the game with the words “Unstoppable.” Described as “literally unstoppable,” Antetokounmpo’s performance was outstanding.

Even though Giannis’ story was the primary focus of this trip, there were several other standout performances. Despite having a difficult shooting night, Damian Lillard still managed to make an impact with 22 points and seven assists. Khris Middleton had one of his better performances of the season in limited minutes, having hit the 18-point mark courtesy of many tough shots from inside the arc while also getting seven assists.

To complete the starting lineup, Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley both recorded 16-point performances. The former got things rolling in the paint, while the latter shot all the way to the floor. Both were very efficient from the floor, having shot above 55 percent. On the other end, Lopez continued his recent run of shot-blocking dominance, having tallied five more blocks.

To give the Bucks their sixth double digit scorer of the game, Bobby Portis checked in off the bench and gave the team 17 points on 61.5 percent shooting. In the game against his old side, the big man ensured that the team’s recent spark would not go out. He was particularly good in the third quarter, where he scored six points on three incredibly tough shots.

The Wizards, led by Jordan Poole with 30 points, also had six players who scored in double figures on the opposing side of the court. Undoubtedly, Milwaukee’s defense was not at its best in this game, and it wasn’t just because of their efforts on the perimeter—which has been the case most of the time—as they gave up 84 points in the paint. That is just not feasible. Nevertheless, it was fantastic that they prevailed over it.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ upcoming matchup with the Boston Celtics is one that everyone has been marking their calendars for some time. That one ought to be fantastic, with lots of fireworks. Hopefully, the Bucks can continue their recent trend of winning performances.

Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.