Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks basically had their season on the line on Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets. And, the two-time MVP wasn't letting this one slip away. After losing the first two games on the road, the Bucks had their backs against the wall in Game 3 and, fortunately, the home team responded.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer and his entire coaching staff knew that they had to do one thing to give their team the best chances of winning and that was to leave their two-time MVP on the floor as much as they could. In Game 3, Antetokounmpo logged in 43 minutes which, according to StatMuse, is the most he's played in a 48-minute game under Coach Bud.
Giannis played 43 minutes tonight, the most in a non-OT game under Bud (regular season or playoffs). pic.twitter.com/ljU0IETqWk
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 11, 2021
In his 43 minutes, the 26-year-old tallied 33 points and 14 boards. Though Giannis just shot 14-31 from the field including 1-8 from deep, his presence down the stretch was huge for the Bucks as they inched their way out with a slim 86-83 win at home. The game went down the wire with Khris Middleton leading the pack, dropping a game-high of 35 points including two clutch free throws to seal the Bucks' first win of the series.
There has been a lot of pressure on Coach Bud and the rest of the coaching staff as the Bucks fell 2-0 against the Nets early in the series. After an impressive first-round sweep against the Miami Heat, it seemed as though the Bucks hit a huge wall as they fell flat against Brooklyn in Games 1 and 2.
Now, with the entire franchise in desperation mode, the Bucks know that they must go through their leader to help them extend their series.
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