Giannis Antetokounmpo had his best game of the 2023-24 season with Damian Lillard out due to right calf soreness. The Milwaukee Bucks, coming off a gutsy win against the Detroit Pistons, were faced with the challenge of taking the Pacers down in Indiana. The ‘Greek Freak’ could not be denied a lane to the basket as he dropped 54 points on 19-25 shooting from the field which brings his FG% up to 76%. With him scoring 54 points, it has many wondering if this is his career high in points.
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No, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s career high in points in an NBA regular season game is 55 points. He had these 55 points against the Washington Wizards on January 3rd, 2023. He played for a total of 37 minutes in that game, grabbed 10 boards, dished out 7 assists, and shot 60.6% from the field in a 123-113 win. Tonight’s total had him 2 points shy of establishing a new career high.
This Bucks-Pacers game for Giannis comes on the second night of a back-to-back as his couldn’t get a chance to finish last night’s game due to an egregiously questionable ejection. He would even protest the 2 quick technicals early in the 3rd by sitting next to fans, almost refusing to leave the game. Luckily for him, Dame and Brook Lopez sealed the win for the team.
How was tonight’s game against the Pacers?
Today’s game against the Pacers unfortunately, was a loss for the Bucks. Khris Middleton returned to action but mustered up 19 minutes of play due to his minutes restriction. Dame of course, was out for the game after carrying the Bucks to victory the night before with 18 points in the 4th quarter.
With no Jrue Holiday, the Bucks’ perimeter defense is amongst the worst in the NBA. Guys like Cam Payne and Malik Beasley are simply not fit to guard a player of Tyrese Haliburton’s caliber.
The Pacers star guard would drop 29 points and dish out 10 assists on the night to lead the Pacers to a 126-124 victory. He’d even have the lead-taking clutch 3 to put Indiana up 1 with 90 seconds left on the clock.
Antetokounmpo’s 54 points, while impressive, came in a loss which isn’t ideal. If there were a silver lining here, it’s that Giannis Antetokounmpo has added yet another 50-piece to his resume, making it his 7th regular season 50 point game of his career.
