Giannis helps the Milwaukee Bucks rally past the Los Angeles Clippers
The Milwaukee Bucks battled back from 21 points down to pull off a 106-105 cliffhanger win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
Freak show
Giannis Antetokounmpo had another outstanding performance, as he erupted for 54 points, 20 of which came in the final quarter that helped the Bucks steal the victory.
Antetokounmpo added 19 rebounds and two assists, helping the Bucks stretch their winning streak to six in a row to move up to 35-17 for the season.
Scoring at least 50 points in three of his last 11 games, Giannis fell one point shy of tying his career-high that he recorded during the Bucks’ 123-113 win over the Washington Wizards on January 3rd.
Antetokounmpo’s explosion allowed him to join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in Bucks history to have at least three 50-point games in a season.
The streak was almost snapped
For a while, the Clippers looked like they were goint to snap the Bucks’ winning streak when they built a huge 76-55 lead at the seven-minute mark of the third period.
Milwaukee slowly chipped away at the deficit, but LA still held a 87-78 lead going into the final quarter. After a long chase, the Bucks finally took the lead, 106-105, when Antetokounmpo dropped two free throws with 1:47 left.
Still slowly working his way back from injury, Khris Middleton continued contributing off the bench, as he chipped in 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Norman Powell came off the bench to pace the Clippers with 26 points. Kawhi Leonard finished with 17 points, but missed a potential game-winning jumper just before the final buzzer sounded. Wesley Matthews can take the credit for that as he had a great night defending the “Klaw”.
