Giannis Antetokounmpo Tips His Hat to 31YO Serbian Star Filling Trae Young’s Shoes After Heated Bucks-Hawks Showdown

The Milwaukee Bucks recently faced off against the Atlanta Hawks. With the team’s highest average scorer Trae Young being placed on the sidelines due to an injury, it was up to the other members of the Hawks roster to take charge against the second-highest seeding team. One of them did so beautifully, adding more points to his team’s overall score than he did during his previous two games combined. His performance was so jaw-dropping that it even earned him the respect of his rival and star player Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In the aftermath of the clash, the official X account of the NBA featured a clip. It showed Giannis exchanging jerseys with the MVP from the Hawks side: Bogdan Bogdanovic. The on-court competitors exuded sportsmanship by sharing a light embrace and exchanging a few pleasantries. It is quite rare when Giannis does not come out as the highest scorer of a game, but he surely knows to give credit where it is due.

Giannis went beyond his main average during the Hawks clash by adding 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists to his name. However, to everyone’s surprise, it was Bogdan Bogdanovic who came out as the lead scorer of the game through his 38 points and 4 assists. The 10 rebounds that the Hawks player secured to his name ended up as his All-Time career high.

As the Bucks maintained a strong lead entering the fourth quarter, Bogdanovic made 17 of his points at the same time and even proceeded to drop two 3-pointers during the game’s final minute. However, his efforts were not enough to put his team on top and the Bucks won the matchup through a score of 122-113.

Despite the loss, there is no denying that the athletic prowess put forward by the 31-year-old during the final quarter was nothing short of breath taking. It also showed that the player is capable of leading the team in the absence of their main scorer Trae Young.

Bogdan Bogdanovic makes up for Trae Young’s absence

Trae Young has been absent from the basketball court since February 23, after sustaining a torn ligament on his left-hand finger. After the player underwent surgery, he was scheduled to be evaluated within the next month and was declared out of the running till then. Since his absence, the Hawks have participated in over 18 games. Bogdan Bogdanovic’s average mostly continued to remain the same in the aftermath of Trae Young’s injury.

In the last 18 games, the Serbian player has managed to average 17.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists. His score went below 10 points on two occasions, while he scored above 20 in five of the games. His average field throw percentage remained at an impressive 90.2%, while his 3-pointer percentage kept fluctuating highly between games, eventually landing at an average of 38.8%.

What were your thoughts on Bogdan Bogdanovic’s recent 38-point performance? Let us know in the comments down below.

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