Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks did all they could to keep their season alive. But, in the end, their bid to repeat as NBA champions ended in a blowout Game 7 loss to the Celtics.
Milwaukee fell to Boston 109–81 on Sunday in front of an overzealous Boston Garden crowd despite another herculean effort from the six-time All-Star. Antetokounmpo, last year’s Finals MVP, ended his red-hot second-round performance with one more signature stat line: 25 points, 20 rebounds and nine assists.
While the two-time MVP’s latest big game came in a bitter defeat, he managed to add yet another impressive feat to his resumé. Antetokounmpo is now the first player in NBA history with 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a single series, per ESPN Stats & Info. He officially finished the seven-game slugfest with a 237/103/50 stat line.
After failing to close out the series at home on Friday, the Bucks entered Sunday facing a win-or-go-home scenario they hoped to avoid. Given the stakes of the scenario, all eyes were once again on Antetokounmpo, who averaged 35.3 PPG, 13.8 RPG and 6.8 APG coming into Game 7.
In addition to already being in the midst of an all-time streak all series long, it appeared early in the contest that Giannis would be in store for another monster outing. The Greek Freak ended the first quarter with 10/8/6 as Milwaukee jumped out to an early 26–20 lead over Boston.
From there, the Bucks struggled to find answers for Jayson Tatum and Co., and ended up trailing 48–43 at halftime. Boston would outscore Milwaukee 61–38 over the last two quarters, eventually leading by as much as 28 points en route to an 18-point deciding margin.
Although the Bucks season is now over, Antetokounmpo, perhaps fueled by his third-place finish in the MVP race, earned a place in the postseason record book with his dominant effort. He will now head into the offseason looking to rest and retool for another run in the fall.
