MILWAUKEE, WI – JANUARY 3: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks shoots the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on January 3, 2023 at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Gary Dineen / NBAE / Getty Images / Getty Images via AFP)
By Adegboyega Adeleye vanguard
Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee Bucks to a 123-113 victory against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday and scored a career-high 55 points to end the Wizards’ five-game winning run in the NBA.
This was the fourth time in his career that Antetokounmpo has scored more than 50 points in a game as the 28-year-old also recorded 10 rebounds and seven assists to earn arguably the best stretch of his career.
Giannis has now scored a Milwaukee Bucks record 143 points in the last three games.
“I work hard. A lot of people think my game is boring, but I’m doing everything to improve,” The Greek-Nigerian player said.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo, who holds dual Greek and Nigerian citizenship, added: “I tried to make the right decisions, to stay aggressive throughout, to do everything for the team to win.”
The 2021 NBA Champion added, “I just do what I do and people don’t talk about it because it becomes boring — I do it every single night. That’s what I want to do. I want other people to feel like my game is boring. But I don’t get bored. The greats — the best players — never get bored. They go out there and they always give their best any given night.”
His Bucks team-mate Bobby Portis came off the bench to score 17 points and 13 rebounds.
The only other players in NBA history to record 40 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in 3 straight performances are Elgin Baylor in 1961 and 1963, Wilt Chamberlain in 1963 and Russell Westbrook in 2016.
Similarly, the only other Bucks player to score at least 40 points in three straight appearances are Flynn Robinson in February 1969 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 1972.
Also on Tuesday, the Sacramento Kings defeated Utah Jazz 117-115 in a dramatic game in Salt Lake City while Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the NBA-leading Boston Celtics 150-117.