Basketball: New personal record for Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo, author of 55 points, the best total of his career, led Milwaukee to victory against Washington (123-113), Tuesday in the NBA where Boston, leader of the Eastern Conference, received a correction at the poorly ranked Oklahoma City (150-117).

The “Greek Freak” (the Greek monster) remains all-powerful at the very start of the year: after the 45 and 43 points spent in Chicago and Minnesota to end 2022, he has crossed the upper stage of his fifties. And that was necessary, to allow the Bucks, champions in 2021, to take their revenge on the Wizards who had beaten them dryly on Sunday in his absence (118-95).

Author of a 20/33 on shots (10 rebounds, 7 assists), Antetokounmpo scored 19 points in the 4th quarter, necessary to contain Washington’s attempts to come back (10th), which remained on five victories, at the image of this interception in the hands of Kristaps Porzingis (22 points, 9 rebounds) two minutes from time, punctuated by an irresistible comeback from the field and a basket with the fault.

His sizeable offensive performance fueled a prosperous period in this area, the day after Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland) scored 71 points, becoming the sixth player in history to score as much in a game, and Klay Thompson (Golden State). Enough to already constitute the 14th game of the season with 50 or more points scored by a single player, when there were 19 last year.

With this success, Milwaukee remains third in the East, but is getting closer to Brooklyn, which, without playing, is also getting closer to the Celtics, struck down as rarely by the Thunder, modest 12th in the West and who was nevertheless deprived of his best element, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, sick. In his absence, it was Josh Giddey (25 points) who guided OKC to set a new record for points scored in a game by the team since moving from Seattle in the 2008/2009 season.

Luguentz Dort (23 points), Jalen Williams, Tre Mann and Isaiah Joe (21 points each) also contributed and the Thunder shot 59.2%, taking advantage of the C’s defensive absence. Because offensively Jaylen Brown (29 points) and Jayson Tatum (27 points) did not miss their match, failing to influence his fate.

The last meeting of the evening, which did not lack suspense, saw Sacramento impose itself with a breath in Utah (117-115), the time for De’Aaron Fox to rise on a double winning step at less than a second of the term. It still took little for the joy to be on the Jazz side, since Lauri Markkanen (28 points) managed a three-point shot during the final action. Basket refused, because the ball left his hand just after the buzzer.

Dominant for the Kings, Fox finished with 37 points in the bag including 20 in the last quarter alone, well supported by the pivot Domantas Sabonis (21 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists). Sacramento thus consolidates its 5th position in the West, Utah continues a 5th loss in a row and stagnates in 10th place.