Milwaukee lost the game, but many people realized what was coming. Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 42 points in a 118-108 Game 2 loss to Phoenix in the 2021 NBA Finals.

Milwaukee lost the game, but a lot of people realized what was coming.

In the 2021 NBA Finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave up 42 points in a 118 - 108 Game 2 loss to Phoenix. The night air outside the center of the trail is dry and hot, and you come away feeling as if the forward has just discovered how unstoppable he is.

From there, we know his story: averaging 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5 assists per game on the way to his first championship while becoming the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award unanimous winner.

Antetokounmpo 's 47-goal performance against Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday gave us a similar feeling. No, he won't be in the top five on this week's Kia MVP rankings, but Antetokounmpo just put him on our radar.

Antetokounmpo said after helping the shorthanded Bucks snap a two-game losing streak with a 109-102 win over the Lakers, "I just want to be aggressive, going forward." "I feel like I'm at my best when I'm aggressive. Making contact, drawing attention, rolling hard, rebounding for teammates, making the right plays, talking to teammates, Put your hands on your teammate if they're not feeling great. So, this is what the coach ( Mike Budenholzer ) wants me to do. This is what I want to do. I have to do a little bit of everything.

We won't get into the specific details of what happened between Antetokounmpo and the Lakers (as colleague Steve Aschburner covered here). Let's just point out that Antetokounmpo becomes the fifth player in the past 20 seasons to score 45 points or more on 75% of his field goals (18-of-23) and 75% of his long-range attempts (3-of-4). Players above.

"He looked easy tonight," Khris Middleton said, returning Wednesday after missing eight games. "When I looked up, I didn't realize he had 19 early in the second quarter. [He] just made it look easy; got to his spots, was patient, wasn't necessarily trying to pass too many people Force his way through. If he sees an extra body, he's trying to find the one who's open. He's great at just picking his spots, getting to his spots, being comfortable, just him, his best. Himself.

This performance from Antetokounmpo is what Milwaukee needs as the roster returns to form. A combination of injuries has led to a 7-8 start for the defending champions, who have used nine starting combinations so far with guard Donte DiVincenzo (ankle). ) and center Brook Lopez (guard) are still out, while Jrue Holiday continues to work after missing six games with an ankle injury earlier this season.

"We definitely need to [string together some wins]," Middleton said. "We definitely started a lot slower than we all had to, but it happened. We have to find a way out of this rut. Tonight was a great start.

Milwaukee can thank Antetokounmpo for that.

As for the top of the Kia MVP ladder, Steph Curry ousted Kevin Durant at No. 1 after a dominant performance at Barclays Center on Tuesday , while Chicago's DeMar DeRozan moved up to 4th after several strong outings in Los Angeles - including a head-to-head matchup with Paul George - in back-to-backs in Los Angeles night to start the week. Meanwhile, Miami's Jimmy Butler has scored 30-plus points in two straight games since returning from injury, including a gem with four steals in Thursday's win over the Washington Wizards, Thus occupying the 5th position.