The showdown between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference took place, and the Toronto Raptors drew first blood.
Led by Kawhi Leonard's 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, the Raptors squeaked past the Milwaukee Bucks 123-116 Saturday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had another superb outing for the Bucks, as he put up 43 points, 18 rebounds, and four assists in a losing effort.
However, The Greek Freak has accomplished something in this game that only one player in Bucks history was able to do.
Giannis Antetokounmpo joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in Bucks history with a 40-point, 15-rebound game. Kareem did it 33 times for Milwaukee.
h/t @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/qSwECRg3ZR
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 6, 2019
The Bucks played the second game of a back-to-back. They made quick work of the Atlanta Hawks yesterday 144-112. The Raptors on the other hand lost to the San Antonio Spurs 125-107 a few days ago.
Milwaukee's defense allowed three Raptors players to score at least 25 points. Pascal Siakam also had 30 points for Toronto, while adding four boards and three assists. Serge Ibaka also had an impressive stat line of 25 points, nine boards, and five assists.
Outside of Antetokounmpo, none of the Bucks players scored more than 15 points despite having six players score in double figures. Malcolm Brogdon had 15 points, three boards, and five helpers while Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe added 14 points each.
Despite the loss, Giannis is still optimistic what the Bucks can accomplish this season.
“We've got to watch the film, see what we did wrong, get better, and keep it going. Keep playing well. The atmosphere is great. This loss is not going to change who we are. We still feel like we're one of the best teams in the NBA so we're going to keep playing like it.”
The two teams will meet again on February 1 inn Toronto. Milwaukee currently leads the season series two games to one.
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