Long uncertain following a sprain suffered against Spurs, Giannis Antetokounmpo was nevertheless dressed against the Magic. And the “Greek Freak” didn’t seem too bothered, multiplying counterattacks to score 23 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks at halftime of the match.
“I was just trying to be aggressive”, he explained at the start of the match. “Obviously sometimes I get a lot of easy baskets in transition before defenses get set up. But I was just trying to create something. There were a few times where I was able to attack the rim, a few times where I was able to get the ball out for 3-pointers – for Khris, Dame and Brook. I just try to play basketball the best way possible. »
Giannis Antetokounmpo in the text, whose constant percussion puts the opposing defense on its heels. However, this was not enough to completely destabilize the Magic, who were able to dream of the hold-up until the end.
And if he finished the match with 37 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, the second half of the double MVP was much less impressive than the first. At the end of the match, Jonathan Isaac's defense hampered him quite a bit, and the Bucks could have been in great danger if Franz Wagner had made this 3-pointer at the start of the last minute…
“I just want to play. During the offseason, I was just a couch potato. I ate a lot of Doritos and chips, a lot of popcorn, I watched Netflix”
“It doesn't matter if it's ugly or not, what matters is being able to build good habits”reassures the Greek after this 6th consecutive victory for his team. “There were times where we developed good habits today and times where we didn't. We were careless at times, we were not in the right place. I think we took a lot of really tough shots. We need to be able to create easier shots, high percentage shots. »
For Giannis Antetokounmpo, this is the 17th game played consecutively without missing a single one, his longest streak since the 2020/21 season, that of the Bucks title. It’s because the person concerned was bored during the summer…
“I just want to play. During the offseason, I was just a couch potato (following his knee surgery). I ate a lot of Doritos and chips, a lot of popcorn, watched Netflix. I couldn't move. It's the first time in my career that I couldn't go with the (Greek) national team and help them, to make them better. Or worse, who knows. I just try to do my best to be available. I may not be 100%, but that's okay. If I can play, I don't take it for granted and I play. »
