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Giannis Antetokounmpo remains 3rd in the latest NBA MVP straw poll

The Greek Freak is putting up MVP numbers this season.
Matthew Dugandzic|
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Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo is still one of the leading contenders for the season’s MVP Award, ESPN's second NBA MVP straw poll showed.

The second installment of the poll showed the Milwaukee Bucks main man staying in third place, trailing Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Giannis collected 87 votes, while Nikola and Shai had 100 and 99 votes, respectively.

Embiid out of the race

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia Sixers used to be No. 1 on the list, but he became ineligible for the most-coveted award after missing more than 18 games this season. Embiid underwent a knee procedure on February 6th.

Giannis kept the third spot after receiving two first-place votes, 11 second-place votes, 43 third-place votes, 24 fourth-place votes, and seven fifth-place votes. At the time of the release of the poll, Giannis is averaging 30.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while shooting 61.1% from the field.

Giannis thriving amid Milwaukee’s tumultuous season

Tim Bontemps of ESPN wrote that Giannis still has a chance to bolster his MVP bid, noting the Greek Freak’s individual brilliance has been overshadowed by a tumultuous season for the Bucks.

Milwaukee has made a lot of noise this season after Adrian Griffin was fired 43 games into his NBA coaching career. Griffin was replaced by veteran coach Doc Rivers, whose tenure with the Bucks is off to a shaky start.

Milwaukee is just 3-6 under Rivers, and just suffered a humiliating 97-123 loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. With the loss, the Bucks dropped to 35-20. They were 30-13 when Griffin was fired. 

Pat Connaughton says the Milwaukee Bucks aren't paying attention to their record under Doc Rivers

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.