BATTLE OF THE BIGS: How Giannis Antetokounmpo fared against MVP winner Joel Embiid this season

Giannis Antetokounmpo fell short in his bid to win a third Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, losing the coveted accolade to Philadelphia Sixers’ center Joel Embiid.

Giannis may have failed to win the MVP, but some of the Greek Freak’s best games this season came against Embiid.

The Bucks and the Sixers split their four regular-season meetings, but how did Giannis fare against Embiid in those duels?

Gigantic showdown

The Bucks drew first blood via a low-scoring 90-88 win on October 20th.

In that game, Antetokounmpo finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks, and a steal. Embiid tallied 15 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and a block.

The second meeting occurred on November 18th, with the Sixers pulling off a 110-102 victory. Both big men came up with huge numbers in that duel.

Antetokounmpo recorded 25 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and a block, while Embiid registered 32 points, 11 boards, eight assists, three blocks, and a steal.

Philadelphia made it two in a row against Milwaukee when it prevailed in their third meeting on March 4th, 133-130. Embiid led the Sixers’ streak-busting win by tallying 31 points, ten assists, and six rebounds.

Giannis piled up 34 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and a block in an equally productive outing that was still insufficient to help the Bucks preserve their 16-game win streak. The 16-game win streak was the longest of the NBA season by any team in the league.

No playoffs duel

The two squads met for the last time on April 2nd, and Antetokounmpo made sure that the Bucks would score a huge payback.

Milwaukee defeated Philadelphia 117-104, with Antetokounmpo notching 33 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and a steal. Embiid ended up with 28 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.

The two MVP winners put in an entertaining duel in the regular season, and it was unfortunate that they didn’t get to see each other again in the playoffs.

The Bucks failed to get past the first round with a shocking debacle to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, while the Sixers are currently playing in the East semifinals against the Boston Celtics.