Downplaying Historical 50-Point Masterclass, Giannis Antetokounmpo Puts Emphasis on Winning

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks made history again. In the absence of Damian Lillard, Giannis took the lead and scored a total of 54 points for the team. Unfortunately, that was not enough to take the Indiana Pacers down. The Pacers were off to a hot start with 38 points in the first quarter while the Bucks managed 24.

Tyrese Haliburton was the star of the match. His go-ahead three-pointer with just 1:29 left sealed Milwaukee’s fate. Interestingly, Antetokounmpo is not too worried about his historical win and loss on the same night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo takes to social media post-game

The Greek Freak scored 54 points, three assists, and 12 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers. Yet, they failed towards the end. But Giannis is not delving into the loss too much, as can be seen clearly from his post. “54. 45. 5. It doesn’t matter. A lot of good things we can learn from today to get better.”

Well, Antetokounmpo sure knows how to give a short and sweet pep talk. But in a situation like this, to have this kind of optimism is a great quality. And we have to give him credit for that. On the positive side, they have played only eight games so far and won five of them. With Lillard taking the lead, Giannis was more than happy to take a backseat.

That does not mean that he does not rise to the occasion as needed. Tonight’s game is a prime example of this. He was just two points short of setting a new career high. But the matchup against the Pacers just didn’t work in their favor.

The Bucks vs Pacers game was a hard-fought battle

There is no doubt that both the teams gave as good as they got. Except for Khris Middleton and Malik Beasley, Giannis did not have much help. Cameron Payne is not at a place where he can guard someone of Haliburton’s caliber. Not to mention, with Jrue Holiday also out, the Bucks’ perimeter defense was in shambles. Though Khris Middleton was back on the court, he was on a minutes restriction.

Read More: Giannis Antetokounmpo Turns Back Clock in Absence of Damian Lillard- 3 Takeaways From Greek Freak’s Bitter-sweet Night

He played for 20 minutes and, in that short time, scored 19 points, grabbed two rebounds, and provided four assists. Another elite player right there. But Haliburton was at the top of his game tonight – getting 29 points and 10 assists to take his team to a 126-124 victory over the Bucks.

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As Giannis said, “A lot of good things we can learn from today to get better”. Seeing how he bounced back from the ejection for a 54-point game, what do you think the Orlando Magic can expect when they host the Bucks?