NBA: Antetokounmpo scores 41 to power Bucks past Pacers

INDIANA – At one point of the Milwaukee Bucks’ National Basketball Association (NBA) game at the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo stunned the crowd with a one-handed poster dunk that had commentators gushing: “Oh captain, oh captain!”

The Bucks forward celebrated his confirmation as an NBA All-Star team captain by pouring in 41 points to propel his team to a 141-131 victory over the Pacers, as the Memphis Grizzlies’ slide continued.

Milwaukee scored a season-high 85 first-half points and led by as many as 33 before fending off a late Indiana rally in Indianapolis, notching a third straight victory to improve to 32-17.

“We had a good rhythm and were able to just hang on in the second half,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

“These road wins are pretty sweet and there were some real positive things, especially in the first half.”

He did not comment much on Antetokounmpo but his counterpart Rick Carlisle was left praising the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player.

“He’s as difficult a guy to guard as there is,” said the Pacers coach.

“Giannis is very unique, and I don’t think there will ever be a player quite like him in this league, maybe ever. He’s a beast, just an absolute beast.”

Indiana had sliced the deficit to eight points with just over four minutes remaining, trying to make the most of Antetokounmpo’s troubles at the free-throw line by fouling him repeatedly.

The Milwaukee star, who also had 12 rebounds and six assists, then made five free throws in the space of a minute and while the Pacers got the gap to seven points with 2min 6sec to play, they would get no closer.

Jrue Holiday scored 20 points and handed out nine assists for the Bucks, while Myles Turner led the Pacers (24-27) with 24 points.

“The starts we’ve been getting off to have been atrocious,” Indiana’s T. J. McConnell said after finishing with 19 points and nine assists.

“It was the pace. When we get out and run and play with pace, we’re pretty good. When we can’t get a stop, you see what happened in the first half.”

Antetokounmpo’s dominant performance, including his breathtaking fourth-quarter dunk over Oshae Brissett, came a day after he was confirmed as a starter and team captain for February’s All-Star game, as the top vote-getter from the Eastern Conference.

It will be the third time he has had the honour, after leading teams in the mid-season exhibition in 2019 and 2020.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies fell 111-100 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis, where the game was preceded by a moment of silence to honour the memory of Tyre Nichols – the Memphis man whose fatal beating has led to murder charges against five police officers.

Anthony Edwards scored 25 points to lead the Timberwolves.

Ja Morant had a triple-double of 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for Memphis, but the Grizzlies finished their road trip 0-5 on the heels of an 11-game winning streak. They are second in the West on 31-18, behind the Denver Nuggets (34-15).

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said before the game his team had been saddened by the “devastating” news emerging from Memphis about Nichols during their week-long road trip.

“It’s been hard to process,” he said. “There’s a lot of emotion. We can’t wait to get back home to put our arms around everyone in Memphis as they struggle with the senseless loss of life.”

The death of Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, after he was beaten by five black officers after he was stopped on suspicion of reckless driving, sparked concern around the NBA.

The league and multiple teams as well as individual players posted statements offering condolences to Nichols’ family and urging calm protest as police in Memphis released video footage on Friday of the beating.

The NBA called the images “horrifying” in a statement. “The NBA family remains committed to partnering with advocates, policymakers and law enforcement to work toward solutions to the issues we continue to face,” it added. AFP