Giannis Fights Through to Clinch
Giannis started the game well, scoring six of the first eight Bucks points. His distributing and scoring was just what the Bucks needed to get the offense going, as he used brute force to drive his team to a victory.
After the game, Giannis and Spencer Hawes both revealed that the Greek Freak had been feeling sick before the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo said he played despite stomach flu. No way he was missing a playoff-clinching game.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) April 9, 2017
Hawes on Giannis: "He's our guy. I know he wasn't feeling well. He battled through and if you look at the stat sheet, you wouldn't know it."
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) April 9, 2017
Giannis didn’t look completely put together in this game, despite still putting up impressive numbers by any normal standards. He struggled mightily at the line to start the game, and normally would have done a much better job scoring against the low caliber of centers the Sixers rolled out. Still, he was the only member of the starting lineup that came out ready to play.
Giannis will need to rest up and regain his health after playing 40 minutes last night. Not every team is going to let a sick Giannis carry his team to a victory, especially not whoever they’ll face in the playoffs.