Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Nikola Jokić Duel Thrills NBA Fans as Bucks Beat Nuggets
Stacy Revere/Getty Images
In a battle between former MVPs on Monday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo emerged victorious.
Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets by the final score of 112-95.
The 2021 NBA Finals MVP was a force on the glass, grabbing 18 rebounds in addition to his game-high 36 points. He also dished out five assists while recording two blocks and three steals, showing why he’s a former Defensive Player of the Year.
Although Damian Lillard connected on just six of his 15 shots, Antetokounmpo helped carry the scoring load as he did all of his damage inside the arc. Fans applauded his dominant performance.
Milwaukee Bucks @Bucks
Giannis in his bag. pic.twitter.com/nSrG5cHtD9
NBA TV @NBATV
26 first half PTS for Giannis 👀 pic.twitter.com/VvNjMKEDyL
Hoop Central @TheHoopCentral
Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight:
36 Points
18 Rebounds
5 Assists
3 Steals
2 Blocks
73% FGOnly played 30 minutes. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/iMpuBWv8gx
Ti Windisch @TiWindisch
Giannis is simply too strong for all the non-Jokic Nuggets and he is simply too fast for Jokic. They’ve got nothing for him.
26 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block on 10/12 shooting in less than 16 (!!!) minutes. Best he’s ever played.
³⁴ @GiannisWorld
Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight in 30 minutes:
36 Points
14/19 FG (74%)
18 Rebounds
5 Assists
3 Steals
2 BlocksThis man is the MVP of the NBA‼️‼️🔥pic.twitter.com/x1yN8Po7Dn
GiannisMuse 🦌 @GiannisMuse
Giannis tonight vs DEN
— 36 points
— 18 rebounds
— 5 assists
— 3 steals
— 2 blocks
— 73.7 FG%MVP!!! pic.twitter.com/Fn8I7QEdyt
StatMuse @statmuse
Most 30/15/5 games over the last 30 seasons:
49 — Giannis
48
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46
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44
43
42
41
40
39
38
37
36
35
34
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26 — Jokichttps://t.co/o5F9Atcu6W
Scott Grodsky @ScottGrodsky
Giannis finishes with 36 points and 18 rebounds in 30 minutes.
He now leads the NBA with four 35+ point and 15+ rebound games this season.
Jokić nearly finished with a triple-double, dropping 29 points and 12 rebounds to go along with eight assists. He hit 52 percent of his field goals and 40 percent of his looks from behind the arc, although head coach Michael Malone’s squad struggled to hit shots all night long. As a team, the Nuggets connected on just 28 percent of their triples.
Denver Nuggets @nuggets
Joker hits one from beyond the arc 🎯 pic.twitter.com/JR1rhfaWPe
Denver Nuggets @nuggets
14 points in Q1 for Joker 🃏 pic.twitter.com/MhlsaOaTzy
StatMuse @statmuse
MVP candidates tonight:
Giannis — Jokic —
36 PTS 29 PTS
18 REB 12 REB
5 AST 8 ASTBlow out win by the Bucks. pic.twitter.com/mjOHXFk8bu
Harrison Wind @HarrisonWind
Nikola Jokic getting a lot of help tonight. pic.twitter.com/byI7bhBTwH
NuggetsMuse @NuggetsMuse_
Nikola Jokic in a loss vs the Bucks:
29 POINTS
12 REBOUNDS
8 ASSISTS
13/25 FG
2/5 3PTGet the man some help pic.twitter.com/d4QF99c7iD
Milwaukee moved to 35-19, as the Bucks have now won two games in a row under new head coach Doc Rivers. Meanwhile, Denver fell to 36-18 and currently sits in fourth place in a tight race at the top of the Western Conference standings.
