Doc Rivers can finally count on a “Big Three” at 100% of its possibilities. This is very good news for the Bucks, and tonight, Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to school after 10 days of treating his back and getting rid of bad bronchitis, to support Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton.
For the first time this season, the three played 30+ minutes together, and it was only the fifth time this season they were lined up together. The outcome? Four wins for one loss.
“It feels good because we know that we can count on very great basketball players, guys who make good decisions, guys who make shots”appreciates Giannis Antetokounmpo. “It’s always nice to play with these guys and we need to play together more often to continue to improve. »
Like his training, Giannis had a mixed evening against the Pacers, and his first half will not go down in history: 1 out of 4 on shots, three fouls and three lost balls. “I felt like I was a rookie again on the pitch”he confides. “I tried to find solutions as I went along…. But I’m a basketball player, I’m a competitor. The first half wasn’t very good for me and for the team. But I feel like in the second half we managed to move the ball around better, get a little more rhythm, put myself out there more and I tried to be aggressive because I was hungry for competition. »
In a very exclusive club
Hearing his voice, we clearly understood that he was not completely healed, and the first back and forths on the floor were complicated. “When we don’t play and we try to come back, there are some clumsies and I don’t know how many times he missed the ball”testifies Doc Rivers. “We felt it. Somehow he managed to get through that first half and he found his rhythm again in the second half. »
To the point of being a major player in the Bucks’ comeback with 13 points on 6 out of 8 shots in the last quarter. Upon arrival, he finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists on 55% shooting. Classic for him, even though he was clearly not at 100% of his abilities. The opportunity to sign his 4,000th career pass, and enter the exclusive club of players with more than 19,000 points, 8,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists.
He is only the 11th player in history to enter, after LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird and John Havlicek.
