Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 122-118 win over Utah Jazz

50-piece

I mean, where do I even start with covering Giannis Antetokounmpo’s performance from Monday night?

Playing 38 and a half minutes of action, Antetokounmpo finished with 50 points on 31 shots (3-for-8 from deep, 13-for-19 from the foul line), 14 rebounds, six assists, two steals and was a +14 on the night.

The 24-year-old helped the Bucks break their opening rut after the Bucks missed their first six shots to start the night. And Antetokounmpo was able to feast inside the paint and at the cup routinely as the night wore on. However, Antetokounmpo left plenty of points out there from both free throw line and beyond the arc throughout the first half as he missed his first four three-point tries and went 1-for-6 from the foul line at one point.

But Antetokounmpo laid the groundwork for his third quarter breakout by redirecting his attention toward the paint, which, in turn, opened up his three-level scoring as Antetokounmpo got three triples and numerous free throws to fall throughout his incredible 32-point second half.

Antetokounmpo battled through some late-game fatigue, which forced head coach Mike Budenholzer to pull Antetokounmpo briefly for a matter of 19 seconds late in the fourth quarter, and he was able to clinch his second 50-point showing of his seven-year NBA career.

Did Antetokounmpo benefit from the absence of reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Rudy Gobert? There’s no question that was the case for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks as a whole as they attempted 36 shots in the restricted area Monday night and converted those looks at a 69.4 finishing percentage, per NBA.com/stats.

But you play who’s in front of you and Antetokounmpo proved, yet again, that there are nights where he simply cannot be stopped. And that’s what makes performances like the one he crafted Monday night incredibly special for all involved, and for Bucks fans around the world.