The Milwaukee Bucks were welcomed back home from their recent road trip by obliterating the team with the second-best record in the league, the Golden State Warriors, 118-99. To no surprise, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo took control of the spotlight and absolutely dominated on both ends of the floor yet again.
Antetokounmpo finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and three blocks on 11-of-17 shooting across just 29 minutes. It was the 28th triple-double of his career, tying Michael Jordan for 18th all-time. Per the Bucks, Giannis became the first player with multiple 30-point triple-doubles in 30 minutes or less in the last 40 seasons.
Giannis is the first player with multiple 30-point triple-doubles in 30 minutes or less in the last 40 seasons.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 14, 2022
30 PTS | 12 REB | 11 AST | 3 BLK | 65% FG pic.twitter.com/7BIDhBs8q3
In addition, the two-time MVP recorded his 16th 30-point game of the season, which ranks second in the league behind only LeBron James.
Following a thrashing win by the Milwaukee Bucks over the Golden State Warriors, Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to prove why he’s the MVP front runner.
Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t stopped dominating teams, breaking records, and chasing greatness since the 27-year-old star dropped a 50-piece in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to clinch Milwaukee’s first NBA Championship since 1971. As Giannis continues to thrive, he’s quickly becoming the clear MVP front runner as we approach the All-Star break in just a few weeks.
Antetokounmpo is the reigning NBA Finals MVP, an NBA Champion, a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, about to become a six-time All-Star, won consecutive MVP awards in 2018-19 and 2019-20, and could now be on his way toward a third MVP honor.
With the way he’s consistently been producing elite numbers to lead the Bucks to victories this season, it seems destined for Antetokounmpo to claim another MVP award if he can just stay healthy.
Before Thursday night’s blowout win, The Greek Freak was averaging 28.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, a career-high 6.0 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals on 54.1 percent shooting across 32.5 minutes per game. Giannis’ numbers are insanely impressive, but it still doesn’t get enough attention since this kind of production is now the norm for him after all he’s achieved on a consistent basis.
In addition, his statistics are bound to keep growing. He’s on pace to have another historical season and even though his mind is focused on winning another championship rather than another MVP honor, it would be a crime to not reward Giannis with the award if he can sustain this type of efficient, dominant production.
The race for MVP will likely come down to Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, and Antetokounmpo. Jokic currently ranks first in the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating with a PER of 32.1, Antetokounmpo ranks second with a 31.7, and Durant ranks sixth with a 26.0.
Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Memphis’ Ja Morant could make an argument as well and will surely be in the conversation. However, it seems unlikely that they’ll be able to catch the top three. All have had outstanding seasons for their respective teams thus far, but at this point in the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo should be the clear-cut MVP favorite.
Over his last nine games, Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. He’s been on an unstoppable roll lately and there’s been no signs of him slowing down anytime soon, especially with his unique, driven mindset.
As the Milwaukee Bucks look to keep the momentum going, Giannis Antetokounmpo has quickly placed himself in the driver’s seat to win the 2021-22 NBA MVP award.