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Giannis Antetokounmpo Took Another Surprising Shot With Time Winding Down

Stephen Douglas

Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing until the final buzzer this season. Teams should be prepared.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing until the final buzzer this season. Teams should be prepared. / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images
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Giannis Antetokounmpo nearly started a fight a few nights ago when he threw down a windmill dunk in the waning seconds of a win over the Chicago Bulls. The Bucks were up seven when he capped off his night with two uncontested points with 1.9 seconds remaining in the game. Multiple players took exception with his violation of the unwritten rules, but the two-time MVP defended his choice after the game saying he was trying to send a message and tell his team to wake up and fight.

The unnecessary shots continued on Monday in the closing seconds of another Bucks victory. With the shot clock winding down and Milwaukee leading the Charlotte Hornets 123-111, Giannis shot a long three rather than take a shot clock violation.

This time the shot was an air ball and the Hornets dropped to 11-21 on the season so they saw no reason to be upset, but the message seems to remain clear for the Bucks—Giannis is playing to the final horn.

Giannis finished with 24 points and seven assists as the Bucks won their second straight game to improve to 14-19 on the season. Not even midway through the season, they're just outside the play-in. Considering the apparent buy-in and effort of their star player, the pressure now rests squarely on the Bucks to do something to improve the team.

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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.

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