The Bucks hosted the Celtics on Friday, with the firm intention of ending their streak against Jayson Tatum’s teammates. Their goal is not achieved and yet Giannis Antetokounmpo had an impressive game, with a big line of stats at the finish. The proof ? He joins Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain in the story.
It’s a decidedly exciting series between the Bucks and the Celtics in this second round of the playoffs, with a lot of suspense at the rendezvous. Impossible to know who will take the best between Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo, even if Milwaukee had a first series ball on Friday night, with a 3-2 advantage. Unfortunately for the men of Mike Budenholzer, success is not present.
The meeting took place in Milwaukee, but Boston proved that the roster was solid this season. Jayson Tatum assumed his status with 46 points at 17/32 shooting, including a very nice 7/15 from three points. He was helped by 22 points from Jaylen Brown, as was Marcus Smart (21 units), who woke up after a bad Game 5. The job is done for the Celtics, who force a Game 7 at home, with that 108-95 win.
Unstoppable, Giannis is still crazy!
Yet opposite, Giannis was not there to joke. He did everything to carry his team, but without much success on arrival, despite his 44 points, for 14/30 to shoot. That’s not all, since the Greek Freak also recovers 20 rebounds, with the added bonus of 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. A performance that allows him to join legends in the history of the playoffs, including Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. That puts you on the level a bit.
Giannis tonight:
44 PTS
20 REB
6 ASTHe joins Shaq and Wilt as the only players ever with a 40/20/5 playoff game. pic.twitter.com/bbE3gwOFPj
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 14, 2022
Giannis: 44 points, 20 rebounds and 6 assists. He joins Shaq and Wilt as the only players to record a 40/20/5 in a playoff game.
Great performance for Giannis, who therefore finishes with 44 units, while his teammates have accumulated a total of 51 points. Suffice to say that the double MVP was a little lonely to win this Game 6, and that he will have to count on support to reach the next round and this conference final. In the meantime, another StatMuse stat helps to better situate the Freak’s prowess:
40/20 playoff games since 2000:
— Shaq
— Giannis pic.twitter.com/WQjq8RiGVM— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 14, 2022
Games with 40 points and 20 rebounds in the playoffs since 2000: Shaq / Giannis.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a huge game, although he will be upset not to have the victory. It is now a Game 7 in Boston which is taking shape, and it will clearly not be a gift to win there. An explosive encounter, the outcome of which is very indecisive: you shouldn’t miss it!