MILWAUKEE, WI – Identifying anything Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t done in his career may be more difficult than guarding him. The Toronto Raptors couldn’t accomplish the latter on Sunday night in a 118-111 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, so Antetokounmpo did the former.
Antetokounmpo recorded his fourth triple-double of the season with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Even more astounding, he did it on 9-of-9 shooting from the field, becoming only the 13th player in NBA history to record a triple-double on 100% shooting. He is the eighth player to do so, and the first since Nikola Jokic earlier this season. Antetokounmpo’s nine field goals are equal for the fourth-most in the 13 games.
“That was like a pitcher throwing a perfect game,” remarked Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer. “At the end of the day, going 9-of-9 from the field and having a triple-double is interesting. I’m astonished that has happened 13 times. That appears to be a rare occurrence. He’s not a major stats or history buff, but he is unique.”
Antetokounmpo began his night with a rare 3-pointer from the right wing just a few minutes into the game, and he never looked back. He performed most of his work near the rim, knifing through the defenders for a variety of dunks and layups, as he always does. When he couldn’t get to the hoop because the Raptors threw several defenders his way, he made the correct pass every time.
Antetokounmpo provided an intriguing analysis of his decision-making process during his postgame news conference, as he sat with the game ball in his lap in celebration of his franchise-record 712th game.
“I just have to trust my intuition,” Antetokounmpo said. “Sometimes I’ll retain the ball a little longer because I have a path to drive the ball; I’m just waiting for the guy to commit to me or go back to the man he’s defending. A lot of the time, I just hold the ball for a second and the man walks away. Previously, if I saw two men, I had to pass the ball.Now and then, I’m not in a hurry. I’ve been double-teamed so many times that I’ve learned to slow down and take my time. Sometimes the double-team thinks you’re going to pass the ball so you can take advantage and rip it baseline or over the top to go downhill. They sometimes want me to pass the ball because they are so invested in it. I simply draw them out as much as possible till I find the clearest and finest pass imaginable.
“Yet, once again, it’s instincts, instincts, instincts. It’s not anything I’m doing on purpose. It’s all instinct for me; I’m not thinking about it. I’ll see the pass there and just make it quick because I feel the faster I make it, the quicker he’ll be able to set his feet and knock down the shot. And occasionally I’ll wait a little longer because I know he’s just bluffing and it’s not a true double-team.”
The historical nature of his act did not pique the Greek Freak’s curiosity at the time.
“I’m glad we got a win and got back on track,” Antetokounmpo said. “When you’re in the present, everything passes so quickly that you don’t take the time to enjoy it. Maybe when I’m older and done, I’ll look back and say, ‘Well, it was nice I was able to do that, now I can’t sprint, leap, or chase my kids.’ When you’re into it right now, it moves too quickly.”
