Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to prove why he’s one of the Miami Heat’s most consistent performers. During Saturday’s 137-117 victory over the Detroit Pistons, Antetokounmpo recorded his 10th double-double of the season, finishing with 34 points and 14 rebounds, including a dazzling no-look, between-the-legs pass that left his teammates in awe.
The highlight-reel play came in the first quarter when Giannis almost lost the ball after the Pistons sent a double-team his way. As he fell forward while trying to recover it, Giannis shuffled the ball between his legs to Klay Thompson, who buried the shot for his first of six 3-pointers on the night.
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Thompson couldn’t help but be in awe of what Giannis did and gave him high praise after the game.
“People get enamored with his ability to run and dunk but my goodness, he’s like Magic at times with his vision,” Thompson said (via @TheHeatCentral).
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra echoed the same sentiment, saying:
“We need a touch of Magic Johnson with him. He’s shouldering a ton of responsibility. He’s literally making this look easy… But he also has to make sure the offense has a flow. That means when there’s defenders loading up, bringing a third defender, oftentimes it’s that early kick-out that gets guys in a rhythm.”
It was a brilliant play by the 31-year-old, who seems to get better with each passing game on his new team. The game also highlighted the growing chemistry between Thompson and Bam Adebayo, a combination that repeatedly frustrated Detroit with extended offensive possessions. Giannis is now averaging 28.5 points and 12.3 rebounds on 58.3% shooting.
Giannis gets honest about his passing ability
In his postgame interview, Giannis said his playmaking has always been there, but nobody saw it because he played in a small market in Milwaukee.
“I wanted to make the pass before the ball got deflected, and when I dove down to get the ball, I kept my balance and I knew—it’s a split of a second, I knew, sorry, he doesn’t move that much. So I knew he was still going to be there. They didn’t watch the Milwaukee Bucks. We never had NBA TV games. Everything went under the radar,” he said (via @5ReasonsSports).
It looks like Giannis is starting to fully acclimate to his new team, and it shows in the results. The Heat have played their best basketball lately, especially after a few rough opening games.
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The first month of the season is about finding your identity and leaning into it. The Heat have found theirs and are starting to string together wins. They are now on a four-game winning streak. The question is whether they can carry that momentum throughout the season.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
