NBA Top Five Performances, Jan. 29: Giannis Antetokounmpo Dominated the New Orleans Pelicans with 50-Point Game
TOP PLAYER OF THE DAY:
There were question marks about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo was even going to play Sunday against the Pelicans.
Those questions were immediately answered with a dominant performance by the "Greek Freak."
Antetokounmpo went 20 of 26 from the field for 50 points with 13 rebounds and four assists. It was his second 50-point game of the season, five off his career-high of 55. It was only the seventh time a player has scored 50 points on 75 percent shooting. Since returning from injury, Antetokounmpo is averaging 38.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
“I'm just going to keep creating the way people in the past created,” Antetokounmpo said. “The way I can go back and watch highlights from Magic Johnson, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant and LeBron. They've created so much art throughout the years, and we can go back and admire what they did.”
OTHERS:
- Ja Morant got his second consecutive triple-double against the Indiana Pacers. Morant finished the night with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists.
- Jaren Jackson Jr. had a team-high 28 points against the Pacers along with five blocks and eight rebounds.
- Bennedict Mathurin added to his Rookie of the Year campaign with a 27-point performance despite the loss against the Grizzlies.
- Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman had 29 points off the bench in the blowout win against the Los Angeles Clippers. Osman went 7 of 7 from 3-point range, tying the franchise record by making all seven of his shots from the arc.
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
