The Bucks-Sixers game in Milwaukee on Sunday afternoon offered us a potential playoff preview, with two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference squaring off as we head down the stretch of the regular season. Despite a late rally from the Bucks, it ended without much fanfare as Philly was able to hold on for a 130-125 victory on the road to remind everyone how dangerous they are at full strength.
MVP candidate Giannis Antetekounmpo was spectacular for the Bucks in the loss, finishing with high 52 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block. Besides just setting a career high in points for the Greek Freak, it also helped set another league-wide record for scoring.
Giannis became the 11th player to score 50 or more points this season, a mark that was set back during the 2016-2017 season and was matched last year.
Per the @NBA:
Giannis is the 11th player to score at least 50 points in a game in the 2018-19 season, breaking the NBA single-season record.
The previous record of 10 players with 50-point games was set in the 2016-17 season and matched in the 2017-18 season.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 17, 2019
Among the other players who have scored at least 50 points this season are James Harden, who’s done so a total of six times so far, Kemba Walker, LaMarcus Aldridge, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, and LeBron James.
With the league as a whole playing at a breakneck pace and players taking more three-pointers than ever, it’s certainly facilitated that uptick in scoring, and every year there are always those 50-point explosions that seemingly come out of nowhere, like we saw from Rose and Aldridge earlier this season.
