Giannis Antetokounmpo Makes NBA History with 13th Perfect Triple-Double: Bucks’ Star Player Dominates
It’s really hard to find something that Giannis Antetokounmpo, hasn’t accomplished in his career. He is so good that it’s like trying to stop him on the court, which is nearly impossible. In a recent game against the Toronto Raptors, they couldn’t stop him, and he ended up achieving another feat that he hadn’t done before. The Milwaukee Bucks won the game, and Giannis played a big part in their victory.
During the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and made 10 assists, which is his fourth triple-double of the season. What’s even more remarkable is that he did all of this without missing a single shot, going 9-for-9 from the field. This makes him only the 13th player in NBA history to achieve a triple-double with a perfect shooting record. He joins a group of nine other players who have accomplished this feat, including Nikola Jokic earlier this season. Out of the 13 perfect triple-doubles, Antetokounmpo attempted the fourth-most shots, with nine field goals.
“It was like a pitcher with a perfect game,” Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. “At the end of the day it is fascinating to go 9-of-9 from the field and have at triple-double. I’m a little surprised it’s happened 13 times. It seems like a rarity. Not a huge stat guy or historian, but yeah, he’s special.”
At the beginning of the game, Antetokounmpo made a rare 3-pointer from the right wing, and that set the tone for the rest of his performance. As usual, he was dominant around the rim, using his athleticism and skill to get past the defense and score with a variety of dunks and layups. When the Raptors sent multiple defenders to stop him, he showed his basketball IQ and passed the ball to his teammates for open shots. He made the right decisions time and time again, contributing to his team’s victory
After the game, Antetokounmpo was holding the game ball in his lap as he spoke to reporters during his postgame press conference. It was a special moment as he had just played his 712th game with the franchise, setting a new record. During the press conference, he shared some interesting insights into his decision-making process on the court.
“Just play to my instincts,” Antetokounmpo said. “Sometimes I’m gonna keep the ball a little bit longer because I have a lane to drive the ball; I’m just waiting for the guy to commit to me or go back to the guy he’s guarding. A lot of times I might just hold the ball for a second and the guy just leaves. Before, whenever I saw two guys I needed to pass the ball. Now, sometimes I’m not in a rush. I’ve been double-teamed so many times I kinda slow down, take my time. Sometimes with the double-team, they think in their head that you’re gonna pass the ball and you can take advantage and rip it baseline or rip it over the top to go downhill. Sometimes they’re so committed to it they want me to pass the ball. I just pull them out as much as I can, until I can find the clear and best pass possible.”
“But again, it’s instincts, it’s all instincts. It’s not something that I’m doing consciously. I’m not thinking about it, it’s all instincts. Sometimes I see the pass there and just gonna make it quick because I believe the quicker I make it he’s gonna be able to set his feet and knock down the shot. And sometimes I’m gonna wait a bit because I know he’s just bluffing, it’s not a real double-team.”
The Greek Freak wasn’t particularly interested in the historical significance of his performance at that moment
“I’m happy we were able to get a win, get back on track,” Antetokounmpo said. “When you’re in the moment it moves that fast, you don’t slow down and appreciate it. Maybe when I’m older and I’m done and gonna look back like, ‘Oh, that was cool I was able to do that, now I’m not able to run or jump or chase my kids.’ Right now, when you’re into it, it moves too fast.”
