The MVP of the night | A royal return for Giannis Antetokounmpo

He arrived in a “trailer” almost on tiptoe. Jrue Holiday served it at the 3-point line. A dribble and a “euro-step” from the free-throw line were enough to Giannis Antetokounmpo to easily knock out Harrison Barnes and slam the ball into the circle.

With three minutes left to play, the leader of the Bucks had just offered his team a six-point lead, on the move on the Kings floor. The Greek again displayed all his dominance for his first match since March 5, three missed games in a row. His absence was mainly due to a still sore wrist, following his sprain contracted just before the All-Star Game.

Last night, the candidate for a new MVP trophy had a fiery first half, converting 10 of his 13 shots – including a 3-point shot – and scoring 21 points. One of his rare failures was a layup late in the first quarter, which appears to have been made to avoid dunking with his sore right hand.

He continued to attack the circle in the second half, sometimes getting rid of two or even three defenders who tried to channel him. The Kings did not find the parade against the inside which did not suffer on the free throw line (6/7), nor behind the 3-point line (2/2).

A 12th game this season with more than 40 points

” He bounced back well, he was aggressive. We must continue to work on our ‘spacing’, to give him good attacking lanes and opportunities. But when he has several days off, during which he can take care of his body, we see the benefits tonight », appreciate Mike Budenholzer.

Result: a line of statistics still impressive for the star of the Bucks: 46 points (19/28 on shots), 12 rebounds and 4 assists but 5 lost balls. It was his 12th game this season with at least 40 points scored, his 41st of its kind with at least 40 units.

In this meeting, the Greek also seized a franchise record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Giannis Antetokounmpo passed the pivot by becoming the player who attempted the most shots within the franchise. Although anecdotal, this record attests to the player’s ongoing statistical hegemony over the history of the club.

This season, he has passed Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge in minutes played and Paul Pressey in assists. Points, free throws, blocks… This is the 10th franchise record set by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is three games short of the record for games played, so far.