On Thursday evening, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo issued a stern reminder to the rest of the NBA about what a dominant force he can be when he's at his best. Just one night after he was controversially ejected from the Bucks' win over the Detroit Pistons, Antetokounmpo absolutely dominated the Indiana Pacers on the road, scoring 54 points and snaring 12 rebounds. However, Milwaukee lost the contest, 126-124, as Giannis and the Bucks stumbled down the stretch.
Still, so dominant was Antetokounpo's game against Indiana that he made a bit of NBA history in the process, joining Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan as the only two players since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976 to have at least eight 50-plus point and 10-plus rebound games in their career, including both the regular season and the playoffs, per Sportsnet Stats.
On Thursday evening, Antetokounmpo was playing without the services of newly acquired star point guard Damian Lillard, who has had a bit of an inconsistent but still mostly good start to his Bucks tenure. In all of the (understandable) hoopla surrounding the acquisition of Lillard, combined with Milwaukee's shocking first round flameout in last year's playoffs, it seems that some fans have forgotten how truly incredible Giannis Antetokounmpo can be with the basketball in his hands.
Thursday's virtuoso display against the Pacers will probably serve as a harsh reminder for any doubters of that fact. The Bucks now sit at 5-3 on the young season, having a three-game winning streak snapped by the loss to Indiana. They will next take the floor against the Orlando Magic on October 11.
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