‘Unstoppable’ Giannis makes things looks easy, but he knows it’s not

With little over a minute and a half remaining in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game, the Washington Wizards finally forced Giannis Antetokounmpo to miss a jumper after seeing him make 19 of his first 21 attempts.

It didn’t really matter, though, since Antetokounmpo raced Daniel Gafford to the ball after his missed fadeaway jumper on the right wing, grabbed the offensive rebound, and finished the game by dunking his miss.

Antetokounmpo finished with 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Wizards 142-129 to win their fifth game in a row. He shot 20 of 23 in the latter minutes of the game. In the one possession in which he tried a shot, he pulled down offensive rebounds and made two of his three misses, leaving his new coach with an easy decision to make following the game.

“Invincible,” stated Adrian Griffin. He is genuinely unstoppable. When you combine him with our other unique talent, it truly allows him to focus on his strengths. It will be necessary to send multiple corpses after him, which will expose some very skilled shooters. He was really feeling his groove tonight. He is unstoppable. He cannot be stopped.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 20: Daniel Gafford #21 of the Washington Wizards blocks the shot of Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks on November 20, 2023 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images)

Though there are several remarkable statistical anomalies related to Monday’s performance, Antetokounmpo’s prior performance may be the most noteworthy. In Monday’s match, Antetokounmpo scored at least 40 points on 80 percent shooting or above for the sixth time in his career. Basketball-Reference’s Stathead tool indicates that 72 players in NBA history have amassed this kind of stat line. Few players have done it more than once; Wilt Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley are the only two who have done it seven times as much as Antetokounmpo has in the last six seasons.

The Bucks’ locker room is filled with folks who have seen one of Antetokounmpo’s performances before, so their reactions are now a little more subdued. On the other hand, many who are seeing the show for the first time find it extremely enjoyable.

“It’s just a hard cover, in my opinion, when you have a man that large, that moves that good, and that fast. After scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the victory, Bucks point guard Damian Lillard stated, “You fouled him, or he’s going to get to the rim.” “I believe that sometimes defenses underestimate how much ground he can cover. Some individuals, I believe, believe they are in a fantastic position, but he just stretches and finishes up near the rim.

Similar to the Greek Freak? He is strange. There are certain things that you are powerless to change. Thus, his 20-for-23 shooting is outstanding in my opinion because he frequently finds himself right at the hoop with nothing to stop him. Twenty-three is insane. That is absurd.

After the game, when questioned about how he performed and managed to make 20 of his 23 shots, Antetokounmpo gave credit to the diversity of scoring opportunities that were presented to him.

Antetokounmpo remarked, “Just trying to play random basketball.” “Tried to occupy several roles. Block on the left. The right block. Change. Run the rim. away from the dribble. Nothing. Roll, Pop. Simply engage in arbitrary basketball. I believe that guarding it and loading up and building the wall are more difficult.

It will work on some days and not work on others. I was fortunate to grab a few buckets today, and perhaps there will be plenty more games just like this one. Ultimately, all I can do is continue to play, remain aggressive, and strive to make the best play possible with my teammates. I’ll try my best to support them in winning.”

There were many excellent opportunities for Antetokounmpo since the Wizards, who are among the worst defensive teams in the NBA and are only 2-11 on the season, lost on Monday. Even some of his 20 made shots—like this one in the third quarter—were difficult because Antetokounmpo frequently had to finish through traffic. Nevertheless, nine of his shots were dunks.

Over the last six seasons, the two-time NBA MVP has experienced quite a few of these explosive scoring outbursts. One reporter questioned Antetokounmpo about whether he ever felt easy on a big night.

“It’s not simple,” Antetokounmpo remarked. “I wish it were simple. Oh, I wish it were simple. You know, I wish I could enter a game and score 42 points every time. However, it’s not. It’s challenging. It takes a lot of effort to settle in, find your rhythm, find your spot, play make for yourself, and play make for your teammates. It’s challenging, but I believe I have put a lot of effort into taking care of my body so that I can play for more than 30 minutes every night and be healthy.

In addition, I’ve strengthened my equilibrium so that I can reach my location even when they push me away. I watch films to learn angles and timing so I can drive the ball and paint effectively. However, it’s not simple. I’ve worked in countless hours and a lot of sweat to be able to get this result. So, yes, thank you very much. That suggests that (someone) finds it simple, but it’s not, dude, at all.

Even during his rim-diving attempts, Antetokounmpo demonstrated a couple new moves. He “split” a pick-and-roll defense from the Wizards twice on Monday, much as he did on this bucket in the first half with Pat Connaughton serving as the screener.

Antetokounmpo displayed a lovely fadeaway jumper that he kissed off the glass during the third quarter as the Wizards closed the gap on the Bucks and finally took the lead in the fourth.

In addition to his eight assists, Antetokounmpo recorded a double-double on the evening. Even though he had the hot hand as a scorer, he trusted his teammates and generated terrific looks for them as well as the Bucks finished off the Wizards in the closing minutes.

Firstly, Antetokounmpo created a wide-open 3-point look for Lillard by drawing multiple defenders on a post-up.

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And then, he used a screen from Brook Lopez (16 points, nine rebounds, five blocks) to create an open corner 3 for Malik Beasley, who tallied 16 points and five rebounds, on a gorgeous no-look pass.

Although Griffin was not afraid to talk about it after the game, Monday was not a banner night for the Bucks’ developing defense. Still, with six players scoring in double digits and a team field goal percentage of 58.5 percent, the Bucks had more than enough points to defeat the Wizards. And Antetokounmpo’s laser-like onslaught on the rim guided everything they did on that end of the court.

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“I simply enjoy his current style of play,” stated Khris Middleton (18 points, 7 assists in 23 minutes). He’s not going to give up. That being said, it doesn’t imply that he isn’t taking jump shots; rather, it indicates that he is making the most of the opportunities the opposition presents him with by driving, finding open spaces, and occasionally using his midrange and three.

“I think he sees a lot of space the way we’re playing right now with Dame out there, myself out there a little bit more, Brook’s spacing, and the shooters around, but he’s always realized what he has at the rim.” Teams are attempting to exercise caution when deciding when and how to use double teams because they are concerned about loading up completely. He is therefore doing a fantastic job of going after the one-on-one match as fast and effectively as he can.

Now riding a five-game winning run, the Bucks will take their chances of building on their first 14 games to the test when they play the Celtics on Wednesday.