Giannis Antetokounmpo closes out the Philadelphia 76ers with a game-saving block after a dominant performance
This may be some recency bias and I could have put Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game-winner against the Charlotte Hornets on here as well, but considering the opponent and the overall performance, I’m going with his game-winning block over his game-winning layup.
Coming off of a blowout loss to the Memphis Grizzlies to start their three-game road trip, the Bucks were facing the Sixers’ new dynamic duo for the first time in Joel Embiid and James Harden. Oh, and it was in Philly which is never an easy place to play for an opposing player.
That dynamic duo combined for 61 points, 19 rebounds, and 16 assists with seven made 3s as well as 22 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and three steals from Tobias Harris. That sounds like a recipe for a Bucks loss!
And they trailed for a majority of the second and third quarters, but as we’ve seen them do all season, they turned it up in the fourth.
Although they got a combined 57 points from Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez, they weren’t the story. It was Antetokounmpo’s dominant 40 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, a steal, and three blocks. None bigger than the third one.
He had 23 of his 40 points in the second half, 12 in the fourth, and it was his ninth game with 40 or more points as he continued his push for the scoring title (even though it’s not his focus), but nothing was more important than the block on Embiid to seal the win.
Giannis with a clutch block in an important game? Seems pretty familiar.