Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘surreptitiously’ lays down on Milwaukee Bucks lifter than Charlotte Hornets
MILWAUKEE – Like Shove star Giannis Antetokounmpo is counted in the basket in the closing seconds of the game with Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, he knew he would have to be creative to score.
So Antetokounmpo used a roll of his fingers to flip the ball out of the bottom of the glass to guide it into the ring and seal. 127-125 wins for Bucks. His heroes overcame a record of 40 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists and helped the Bucks to their eighth straight win.
“If you’re just going normally, you’ll most likely get blocked, so you’ve got to be sneaky with it,” Antetokounmpo said after the game. “I’m old. I can’t fall in love with people anymore, so I have to be sneaky.”
Sneaky isn’t usually a word used to describe Antetokounmpo’s game, especially considering how he can be the dominant force in paint.
But even his teammates, who are used to seeing him perform incredible feats on a regular basis, are amazed at his ability to end matches with a touch around the glass.
“People talk about him just being dominant, but on that shot you can see the skill he has,” Bucks forward Kris Middleton speak. “He didn’t always dodge people. It was an uphill fight even for the guards, and he was a seven-legged runner who went down late in the game, passed then under one wing. hand and then flip it with a slight turn away from the glass. That just shows you the kind of skill he has as a player.”
Wednesday marked the fourth time in Antetokounmpo’s career he scored the winning goal in the final five seconds of fourth-half or injury time and the first since 2018, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
The Bucks needed Antetokounmpo’s shot to keep the Hornets at bay and a career-best scoring performance since LaMelo Ball, who knocked down a 3-pointer competes with 5.9 seconds left to end the game. Ball finished with a career-high 36 points along with nine assists and five rebounds.
After Ball finished the game, Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer laid the floor with four shooters around Antetokounmpo, providing him with space to attack the basket with a one-on-one match with the forward Hornets. PJ Washington.
“It was a great ending,” said Budenholzer. “He’s so talented and he does a lot of things around the belt. The dunks and everything attract a lot of attention, for good reason, but his ability to use glasses and his ability to play fast. his – when you’re going downhill. it’s hard to get your hands on the board and things like that, it’s just a great finish, a great play by Giannis.”
Meanwhile, the Bucks have continued to roll since they have nearly their full roster back on the floor.
Their eight-match winning streak coincides with Middleton’s return to the field after contracting COVID-19, and Milwaukee remains unbeaten this season (10-0) as Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Jrue’s Day were in the starting lineup.
“You want all of your boys to be healthy to give yourself a better chance of winning,” Middleton said. “We’ve been eliminated so far, still missing a few players. With the current team, I think we’re playing well. We’re trending in the right direction right now.”
