After driving to the rim in the last seconds of a Milwaukee Bucks victory, purposefully missing, and grabbing his own rebound to complete the feat in basketball, Giannis Antetokounmpo said he “stole” his most recent triple-double.
At Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena on Sunday, Antetokounmpo scored 23 points, had 13 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds in 36:13. Washington Wizards were defeated by the Bucks 117–111.
At his postgame news conference, Antetokounmpo told the media, “I was thinking of scoring the ball, but I feel like in those moments it’s best to kind of keep the ball.But, I did try to play the game wisely and steal one.
Giannis really made his own rebound to get a shot of a triple-double.
With around 13 seconds left, Wizards forward Kristaps Porzingis missed a 31-foot 3-point try. With the help of that missed shot, Antetokounmpo grabbed his tenth rebound.
The two-time MVP of the NBA then sprinted along the right side. Due to the predetermined outcome of the game, the majority of Wizards defenders decided against defending Antetokounmpo.Antetokounmpo then slowed his dribble and stood under the basket. He softly shot the ball against the right side of the backboard and caught the easy rebound to complete his triple-double as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Antetokounmpo made 6 of 12 shots and 11 free throws in the victory. Bucks guard Jevon Carter chipped in 20 points off the bench. Jrue Holiday also scored 19 points in the win. Wizards guard Bradley Beal scored 33 points and totaled nine rebounds. Porzingis totaled 24 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in the loss.
Antetokounmpo totaled four triple-doubles through 52 starts this season. He averaged a career-high 31.2 points per game over that span. Antetokounmpo is also averaging 11.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
