Giannis Antetokounmpo Stats Tonight: How did 2x MVP perform in Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinal? (Dec. 10)

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks welcomed the Orlando Magic at the Fiserv Forum on Tuesday for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals. The Bucks have the advantage entering the matchup with the Magic's two best players, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, out with injuries.

Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks, finishing with 37 points, seven rebounds and six blocks. He went 15-for-24, doing most of his damage in the paint in the first three quarters. He deferred most of the responsibility in the fourth quarter to Damian Lillard.

With Milwaukee's 114-109 win over the gritty Magic, they advanced to the semifinals of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. They will fly to Las Vegas and face the winner of the Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks matchup.

Here are Giannis Antetokounmpo's stats after three quarters:

Players

PTS

REB

AST

STL

BLK

TO

PF

MIN

FG

3PT

FT

+/-

Giannis Antetokounmpo

37

7

1

2

4

6

1

25:36

15-24

0-2

7-12

+5

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How did Giannis Antetokounmpo perform against Orlando Magic?

Giannis Antetokounmpo had a great first quarter, with 11 points in 11 minutes. He kept the Milwaukee Bucks afloat as the Orlando Magic played well as a unit. They were having trouble against Jalen Suggs and Goga Bitadze, who helped the Magic build an eight-point lead.

The Bucks were much better in the second period, taking over the game. "The Greek Freak" added nine points to his tally, while Bobby Portis provided a spark off the bench. Milwaukee regained the lead midway through the quarter and had a 60-59 advantage at halftime.

In the third quarter, Giannis Antetokounmpo took control of the game on both ends of the floor. He scored 12 more points and blocked two more shots to help the Milwaukee Bucks build a 10-point lead. He sat at the bench and was rested to start the fourth quarter.

The Orlando Magic took advantage of it to make things interesting in the final period. Jalen Suggs shook off a finger injury and went toe-to-toe with Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo returned with seven minutes left in the game to stabilize the team's offense.

"The Greek Freak" was limited to just five points in the quarter, but made two crucial free throws at the end to seal the win. Lillard made some clutch shots to finish with 28 points, two rebounds and nine assists. Bobby Portis was huge off the bench with 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

On the other hand, Suggs had a team-high 32 points plus nine rebounds and four steals. Anthony Black scored 17 points off the bench, while Goga Bitadze put up 12 points and 14 rebounds.

It would have been a different story if the Magic had Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in the lineup. Nevertheless, the Bucks are moving on to the semifinal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. They currently have the third-best odds to win the tournament behind the OKC Thunder and New York Knicks.