The Milwaukee Bucks earned their first win in the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns in Game 3.
Phoenix still leads the series, 2-1, but Milwaukee had an impressive 20-point win at home, and star Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way.
In 37 minutes, Antetokounmpo dropped 41 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and a steal. He shot 14-of-23 overall and 13-of-17 from the free-throw line.
Antetokounmpo made it a priority to find lanes to the paint or make plays out of the post, things he hasn’t focused on as much lately, but sticking to his strengths brought out a more efficient version of him.
This outing came on the heels of a robust stat line in Game 2, despite Milwaukee dropping that game. Antetokounmpo scored 42 points to go with 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal in 40 minutes.
These incredible numbers have placed Antetokounmpo in an elite spot in the record books, via NBA History:
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the 1st player to score 40+ points in back-to-back NBA Finals games since LeBron James (41 points in Games 5 and 6 of the 2016 Finals). pic.twitter.com/OrhAMN4zXl
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) July 12, 2021
Antetokounmpo became the first player since LeBron James to score over 40 points in consecutive NBA Finals games. As noted, James did it in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors.
Down 3-1 and facing elimination the rest of the series, James delivered some of the most memorable playoff performances ever in consecutive games to complete the infamous 3-1 comeback.
Game 4 is Wednesday, July 14 at 6 p.m. PST in Milwaukee.
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