MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks owe much of their turnaround from a dreadful start to the way Giannis Antetokounmpo has raised his extraordinary game to an even higher level.
He has three triple-doubles in the last six games he has played.
“He’s been amazing because he’s scoring, but more importantly, he’s getting everybody involved,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the Bucks' 124-114 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. “It's so difficult to help off a passer that can score. There's a lot of guys in this league who can score, (but) they ain't passing. You can go trap them. You can kind of junk up the game. But the way Giannis is passing, you've got to pick your poison.”
Antetokounmpo had 42 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists Saturday for the highest-scoring triple-double of his career while helping the Bucks win their sixth straight.
After losing eight of their first 10 games this season, the Bucks have won eight of nine to get above .500 at 10-9 for the first time since beating Philadelphia in their season opener. The Bucks' progress was evident Saturday in how they found a way to win on a night when they weren't particularly sharp.
“If this was the third game or fourth game of the season, we probably would have lost that game," Antetokounmpo said. “Now we just know — no matter if it looks pretty, if we're playing well — we've got to figure out ways to win the game.”
Antetokounmpo has been figuring out plenty of ways to help his team lately. His 42-point performance Saturday improved his season scoring average to an NBA-leading 32.9 points.
He also has 11.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game.
Rivers said Saturday that this is “by far” the best stretch he's seen from Antetokounmpo since taking over as the Bucks' coach midway through last season.
“Because it’s not just scoring,” Rivers said. “It's everything. He's blocking shots. He's rebounding the ball. He's passing the ball. He's starting our break. Him and Dame (Lillard), their two-man game has been fantastic. He's just doing a lot of stuff for us, and he's doing it in the flow. It doesn't look forced.”
Antetokounmpo recorded his first triple-double of the season Nov. 16 when he had 22 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists when the Bucks fell 115-114 at Charlotte. The Bucks haven't lost since.
Six nights later, Antetokounmpo had 37 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a 129-117 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
His latest triple-double came after he sat out a 106-103 victory at Miami on Tuesday with swelling in his left knee. Saturday marked the first game Antetokounmpo had played in a week. He said afterward that it took a while for him to get back into a rhythm, but he noted the time off helped him in other ways.
“I felt powerful because obviously I took two or three days after the Miami game to lift some weights, get my legs under me,” Antetokounmpo said. “So I felt powerful. Every move was powerful out there.”
That power helped Antetokounmpo produce his 48th career triple-double, and eighth with at least 35 points. The Bucks noted after the game that Antetokounmpo matched the number of triple-doubles with 35 points that Michael Jordan accumulated in his career.
Antetokounmpo downplayed the impact of that milestone as he looked forward to the Bucks' upcoming NBA Cup game Tuesday at Detroit.
“I just try not ot pay attention to that,” Antetokounmpo said. “When I'm going to be 40 and somewhere in Hawaii or in the Caribbean and drinking a pina colada and arguing with my wife about how (great) I was when I used to play, I can say, ‘Yeah, me and Michael Jordan did that,’ put myself in the same sentence. For now, I try to stay locked in and focus in on the next one against Detroit.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Steve Megargee, The Associated Press
