Giannis Antetokounmpo declared "BEST player in the NBA" by Shannon Sharpe after monster 54-point game
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated the LA Clippers on Thursday night, finishing with 54 points and 19 rebounds on 53.8% shooting. This included 20 fourth-quarter points as the Bucks came back from a 21-point deficit to win 106-105.
The "Greek Freak" also hit two clutch free throws to put Milwaukee ahead with 1:47 remaining that ended up deciding the game. The win marked the Bucks’ sixth straight and led Antetokounmpo to receive high praise from former NFL star-turned-FOX Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe.
“Giannis is still the BEST player in NBA until further notice. 54-19 in a 21 pt come from behind win. Should keep him in top spot,” Sharpe said on Twitter following the Bucks’ win.
Giannis is still the BEST player in NBA until further notice. 54-19 in a 21 pt come from behind win. Should keep him in top spot. 😤😤😤😤
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 54-point effort fell just one point shy of his career-high of 55 points. Antetokounmpo set that record on January 3 against the Washington Wizards. He also scored 50 points on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans. So Thursday’s game against the Clippers marked Antetokounmpo’s third 50-point effort of the season.
Following his big night, Antetokounmpo is averaging 32.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game on 53.6% shooting. His 32.3 points per game are his career-best average by a wide margin, with his previous high for a season being 29.9 last season. So the former back-to-back MVP appears to only be getting better in his 10th season.
With the win, the Bucks have improved to 35-17 and sit second in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Clippers have fallen to 29-26 and are fifth in the Western Conference.
Giannis Antetokounmpo on his 54-point performance versus the Clippers
After dropping 54 points against the LA Clippers, Giannis Antetokounmpo had some fun postgame. The star forward joked that he would order 50 cheeseburgers to celebrate.
“Tomorrow, I think I'm going to go to Culver's. I'll go get 50 cheeseburgers and try to eat as many as I can. The rest, I'll have my son eat them, or I give them to my dog,” Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo was also informed that he is just the second player in Milwaukee Bucks franchise history to record three or more 50-point games in a single season. The only other player to do so was NBA legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“It's a great compliment to be up there with Kareem,” Antetokounmpo said.
“Man, I never thought I was going to score 50 in the NBA when I got drafted. It's an insane, crazy journey,” Antetokounmpo continued.
Also read: Skip Bayless highlights Giannis Antetokounmpo's scoring woes against Hawks, compares him to LeBron James