Takeaway no. 1 – Giannis Antetokounmpo turns in season-high performance
Make no mistake, Monday night was Giannis Antetokounmpo’s show, all of which powered the Bucks to victory.
From the moment he strolled to the free throw line 17 seconds into the game, Antetokounmpo rampaged his way to the basket and routinely shined a light on the Pistons’ interior defense, or lack thereof. Eventually, the basket felt as big as Lake Michigan for Antetokounmpo as he put down amazing finish after amazing finish after each passing drive.
That left him with 30 points in the first half alone, making it the first time he’s scored 30 or more points in any first half over his eight-year NBA career.
Giannis Antetokounmpo currently has 30 points vs the Pistons, his most in a 1st half in his NBA career.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 5, 2021
It's his 4th career 30-point half (previous 3 were all in the 2nd half). His career high for a half is 35 in the 2nd half against the 76ers on March 17, 2019. pic.twitter.com/PusoIR9xt5
All in all, Antetokounmpo posted 43 points on 17-for-24 shooting from the field (2-for-6 from deep, 7-for-9 from the foul line), nine rebounds, four assists, three turnovers and a block in 36 minutes of run. Anteokounmpo supplied 30 of the Bucks’ 62 paint points for the night.
Yes, it came against the Pistons and he will have another chance to run amok Wednesday night. But Antetokounmpo has certainly looked more like himself through a quiet, turbulent start to the season and hopefully that’s a sign of things to come.
The Bucks will look to take care of business once again when they host the Pistons for the second time in two nights on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum for a 7 p.m. central time tip-off.