Giannis Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee past the Lakers and their superstar duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a 111-104 victory Thursday night.
“I wasn’t supposed to be here,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after posting 34 points (including a career-high five three-pointers) and 11 rebounds against visiting Los Angeles.
Milwaukee improved to 25-4 following the highly-anticipated showdown.
Per The AP and The Athletic:
“I wasn’t the No. 1 pick, AD was, LeBron was,” Antetokounmpo said. “I wasn’t supposed to be here. I wasn’t supposed to go up against these two beasts. So I’m just happy that I’m here and happy that I’m going through the process and I always want to be better, do better for my team and that’s what gives me joy.”
James had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season, and Davis had 36 points and 10 rebounds.
“You tip your hat off to him and we move forward,” Davis said of Antetokounmpo.
He hit two 3-pointers in a 90-second span in the third quarter before being removed from the game by Mike Budenholzer just four minutes into the second half because of foul trouble.
“What Giannis does in the summer, the amount of time he puts in before practices, after practices, taking care of his body,” Budenholzer said. “As special as he was last year, I think even opponents and his peers see and know that he can get better and he’s putting the time and effort in. We just feel fortunate he’s ours, and we’re excited about him and our future.”
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