Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Adds More Bulletin Board Material for Sixers
After a rough first quarter showing against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo turned up the intensity of his game in the final two quarters and some change.
Heading into the visitor's locker room at the Wells Fargo Center at halftime on Wednesday, Antetokounmpo had just four points in nearly 18 minutes of playing time. When he came out for the second half, Milwaukee got creative and found ways to allow their reigning MVP to cook.
After checking in for eight minutes during the third quarter, the Bucks star scored nine points off six shot attempts. In the last quarter, he played all 12 minutes and shot four-for-eight from the field, picking up nine points.
Four quarters wasn't enough for the Sixers and the Bucks on Wednesday night, though. After a last-second three-point shot by Sixers veteran Furkan Korkmaz, the Sixers forced overtime.
That's when Giannis really took over. In five minutes, Antetokounmpo crafted a solid run and drained all four of his attempted shots, including one from beyond-the-arc. As the one they call 'The Greek Freak' lit up the scoreboard in crunch time, he played the villain in South Philly as he took a seat on the court after forcing Philly into a timeout.
After the game, Sixers veteran center Dwight Howard wasn't pleased. Although Howard did issue Giannis his credit for putting on a superb performance when it mattered the most, the overtime gesture, which drew many boos from the home crowd, did not sit well with the future Hall of Famer.
"I wanted to go and stone-cold stunner him," Howard said. "You know, it's basketball, and we want to have fun, but we'll see these guys again. We don't want to make a big scene about what he did. Today, we allowed them to get back in the game. So, what he did -- we can't control that."
Shortly after Howard's response, Antetokounmpo shrugged off Philly's frustration. "Is there something wrong with having fun?" Antetokounmpo said. "I don't think there's anything wrong with having fun. I just like to have fun. In the first half, I was not having fun. I kind of, you know, talked to myself at the half and said, 'No matter how bad the game is, you can't forget what you have to do, which is have fun.'"
The fun didn't stop there for the Bucks star. A couple of hours after the game wrapped up, Antetokounmpo took to Twitter to add some more fuel to the fire after Howard revealed that he's unhappy with the mid-court gesture.
"Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show," he said. While Giannis' trolling is harmless, it's definitely something the 76ers won't forget before the April 22nd rematch between Philly and Milwaukee. The Bucks might have the home-court advantage when that date rolls around, but the Sixers will more than likely have Joel Embiid back in the mix as well, which should make for a must-see matchup for NBA fans.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
