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Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded the first 20-point, 20-rebound game of his four-plus-year career, after posting 27 points and 20 rebounds in a 104-95 win over the Washington Wizards during an early matchup on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Greek Freak has amazed plenty around league circles with his all-around game, but this is the very first time he's put it all together to reach this evasive stat line.
The Greek Freak records the first 20-point, 20-rebound game of his NBA career 🇬🇷💪 pic.twitter.com/MgyHTFHSV7
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) January 15, 2018
Antetokounmpo shot it poorly from the floor, a mere 9-of-23, but he lived at the foul line, making 9-of-15 from the stripe, helping shut down a hot-shooting John Wall, who struggled in the second half.
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The Milwaukee Bucks forward pulled down seven offensive boards, assisted on six baskets and blocked two shots to round out a dominant performance, now averaging just a shade under 10 rebounds per game through a breakout scoring season that has him second in the race for the scoring title (28.4 points per game).
The 22-year-old became the youngest Bucks player to achieve that feat since Andrew Bogut did in 2007, according to Basketball-Reference.
His effort helped Milwaukee dig out of a two-game skid and back to the winning column, sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 23-20 record.
Antetokounmpo has doled out three 40-point games through the first 43 games of the season, but is now starting to put it together with his dominance on the glass and improved free-throw shooting — a large reason for his all-around success and rise in popularity.
While this is the first 20-20 game of his career, it surely won't be his last, as the 6-foot-11 point-forward taps into his true potential.
