Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni was in awe of Milwaukee Bucks talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo, as The Greek Freak put up a monstrous double-double of 27 points and a career-high 21 rebounds in a 116-109 win over the surging Rockets.
“He's not normal,” said D'Antoni, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “I mean, that guy is 7 feet and has the [body] control, and all that he does. The guy is a great, great player, so he's in the [MVP] conversation, because they're playing so well. And he should be, but we've got a lot of basketball left.
“We're only halfway there. He and James are up there with a couple of other guys, and it'll sort itself out.”
Antetokounmpo, who leads the league in dunks with nearly five per game, went dunk-less on Wednesday against the Rockets, but snared four offensive rebounds and tipped in a critical miss in the winding seconds of regulation to keep his team on top after a fierce comeback in the third quarter.
The 24-year-old was the clear front-runner for the Most Valuable Player award until James Harden's scoring barrage took over headlines, but Antetokounmpo showed up, hitting 8-of-16 from the floor and a critical 11-of-14 from the foul line to give the Bucks a statement win over one of the league's hottest teams.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden will compete for the award, as the former tries to win his first ever while the other tries to make it two consecutive awards.
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