Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo gifted his game-used shoes from Tuesday's 114-102 win over the Orlando Magic to a fan celebrating his eighth birthday at Fiserv Forum.

TMZ Sports reported the young fan held up a sign that read: "Giannis, today is my 8th birthday. Wanna trade shoes?"

The Greek Freak didn't accept the offer of a shoe trade, but he did provide the fan with his custom Size 16 Nike Zoom Freak 2s, per TMZ.

Antetokounmpo put on a show for everybody in attendance with 27 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals in 32 minutes to help Milwaukee improve to 44-25.

The two-time defending NBA MVP is averaging 28.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks through 59 appearances during the 2020-21 campaign.

He's going to face ample pressure once the playoffs get underway, though. The Bucks have been a chief championship contender in recent years but haven't reached the Finals, and this year's path through the Eastern Conference likely includes a matchup with the star-studded Brooklyn Nets.

Regardless of how the seasons turns out, Antetokounmpo earned a fan for life with his gesture Tuesday night.

Following two matchups between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets, Giannis Antetokounmpo had high praise for Kevin Durant. 

Speaking to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the reigning two-time NBA MVP called Durant "one of the best I’ve ever seen in my life.”

The Bucks won both games, including a 124-118 win on Tuesday night, but the first game on Sunday was one of the best superstar duels in the NBA all season. 

Durant tied his season high with 42 points on 16-of-33 shooting (7-of-13 from three) and grabbed 10 rebounds in 40 minutes. The 2014 league MVP followed that up with a 32-point showing on Tuesday night. 

Antetokounmpo matched him point for point in Sunday's 117-114 victory with a season-high 49 points on 21-of-36 shooting from the field. 

The scoring performances by Durant in those two games against the Bucks are just the latest feather in the 11-time All-Star's cap. He's been terrific in his return from a ruptured Achilles. 

Injuries have kept Durant out for 37 games this season, but he's averaged 28.3 points on 54.6 percent shooting in 29 appearances. The 32-year-old's 47.9 percent from three-point range would be a career high. 

Make it two for the Milwaukee Bucks, who claimed the season series over the Brooklyn Nets with a 124-118 win on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum.

Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 36 points for the Bucks, who are 41-24 and chasing the Nets for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. With the win, Milwaukee is now just 1.5 games behind Brooklyn.

For the 43-23 Nets, Kyrie Irving scored 38 points.

Notable Performers

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: 36 PTS, 12 REB
• Jrue Holiday, Bucks: 23 PTS, 10 AST, 8 REB
• Kyrie Irving, Nets: 38 PTS, 5 AST, 3 REB
• Kevin Durant, Nets: 32 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST

A Strong Showing From Giannis (and His Friends)

On Sunday, Milwaukee's weakness was its secondary scoring, as only three players finished the night in double digits. If Tuesday was going to be anything like the earlier game, that would have spelled trouble, as Antetokounmpo earned his third personal foul early in the second quarter.

He and Jrue Holiday were leading the scoring in the opening 12 minutes, and it was Bryn Forbes who stepped up to keep the Bucks moving while he was off the court. With the game tied at 55, the Bucks broke out on an 11-3 run to end the half, headlined by three three-pointers from Forbes, who ended the second quarter with 11 points.

Antetokounmpo had a game-high 21 points—marking the third consecutive half that he has scored at least 20 points on the Nets.

He set another personal record early in the second half, hitting his fourth three to help the Bucks keep their halftime lead going.

He had little trouble cruising to 30 points before the start of the fourth but couldn't hold off a Nets advance with little help behind him. It seemed like the Bucks had outrun their depth woes, but with the clock ticking, they came back to put them in a precarious scenario.

The Nets came into the fourth off a major run from Irving, but after going down, the Bucks went on an 18-1 run to take the lead back and push all the way to the finish.

Things looked as though they would start trending in the opposite direction as Irving made the most of his possessions in the third quarter, but Antetokounmpo continued to dominate. And unlike Sunday, Antetokounmpo had backup—Khris Middleton and Donte DiVincenzo worked their way into double-digit scoring by the end of the game, joining their star as well as Holiday and Forbes.

Kyrie's Strong Showing Comes Too Late

The Nets' stars were able to keep Brooklyn at pace with Milwaukee through most of the first half, but things got dicey later in the frame even when they had a chance to capitalize. When Antetokounmpo landed his third personal foul before there were even five minutes gone in the second frame, Brooklyn struggled to take advantage not just at the line, but all over the court.

The Nets hit just six of their 13 free-throw attempts in the half, missing five in a row at one point in the second quarter. Coupled with sloppy offense that resulted in seven turnovers—and eight Milwaukee points—the Nets took an eight-point deficit into the half.

Durant posted 17 points in the half and was the only member of the team who managed from the line, going 4-of-5 in addition to impressive 6-of-9 shooting from the field.

Jeff Green and DeAndre Jordan were both 1-of-4 on free throws.

Irving logged 14 points in 19 minutes as the team's second-leading scorer, but he also had three fouls by the break.

Things didn't get much better to start the third. But Irving woke up just in time to stop the Bucks from making their 10-point lead into something bigger, logging 16 in the frame to give Brooklyn the lead heading into the fourth.

Irving's emergence helped the Nets get back in it, and a pair of free throws from their top player at the line with 1:02 to go inched them closer, but it wasn't enough to pull them past the Bucks after a messy first half.

What's Next?

Milwaukee will host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

The Nets will head to Dallas for a Thursday tip against the Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant put on a show Sunday as the former's Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Brooklyn Nets 117-114.

While Antetokounmpo finished with 49 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks, he recognized going toe-to-toe with Durant, who posted 42 points and 10 rebounds, is a dangerous proposition during an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols. 

"I was not going back and forth with him," he said. "KD's one of the greatest scorers to ever play the game. You cannot play that way. If you go back and forth with a guy like that, he's gonna score 50, 70."

The two All-Stars exchanged impressive plays, including when Antetokounmpo swatted Durant on a mid-range jumper late in the fourth quarter. Milwaukee pulled within 2.5 games of the Nets and Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with the win but has just eight games remaining to make up that ground.

The Bucks will likely be the No. 3 seed and a daunting second-round opponent for whichever team does not land that No. 1 seed between the Nets and 76ers.

While it was an impressive victory for the Bucks, it's easy to feel alright about the outcome from Brooklyn's perspective.

After all, it took an unreal game from Antetokounmpo, James Harden on the sideline, Kyrie Irving going just 8-of-21 from the floor and a missed Durant three at the buzzer for the Bucks to win at home by just three points. It is easy to assume the Nets can close that three-point gap in the playoffs if Harden returns and Irving is slightly better.

Having to account for another one of the league's best players while still having to deal with Irving and Durant is quite the proposition for Milwaukee and the rest of the Eastern Conference.

That is especially true when Durant—one of the league's all-time great scorers—is as locked in as he was Sunday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant are two of the very best talents the NBA has to offer. And boy, did they remind everyone of that fact Sunday.  

The two players traded buckets in a crucial matchup for postseason seeding in the Eastern Conference, each exceeding 40 points in the Milwaukee Bucks' 117-114 win over the Brooklyn Nets. 

Durant had a chance to force overtime with a three-point attempt at the buzzer but was unable to sink the clutch shot.

Seriously, this was a wild, wild game.

The result kept the Nets (43-22) tops in the East and the Bucks (40-24) 2.5 games behind them. The Philadelphia 76ers (42-21) moved atop the standings with Brooklyn's loss, as they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.  

So the top seed is going to come down to the wire. With a crucial win Sunday, Milwaukee improved its own odds of securing that berth. 

And if these teams ultimately meet in the playoffs, well, you can bet it's going to be fun. 

Key Stats

Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL: 49 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks

Khris Middleton, MIL: 26 points, 11 rebounds

Jrue Holiday, MIL: 18 points

Kevin Durant, BKN: 42 points, 10 rebounds

Kyrie Irving, BKN: 20 points (8-of-21 from the field), seven rebounds, six assists

Landry Shamet, BKN: 17 points

Are We Sure Giannis Isn't the MVP?

The Greek Freak was awesome Sunday, in large part because he found his stroke from the perimeter (4-of-8 from three). Then again, he was pretty good from just about every spot on the floor.

Much of the MVP conversation this season has centered on big men Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid, with Stephen Curry getting some love as well, and for good reason. They've been spectacular. It would be hard to complain about any of those choices. 

But should Giannis be getting more love? Is there a bit of a voter fatigue because he's the back-to-back winner? 

Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, he looked like an MVP on Sunday, carrying the Bucks in a close and extremely important game. 

Kevin Durant, Human Bucket

In a game where Irving had his struggles, dealing with the suffocating defense of Jrue Holiday, Durant stepped up in a big way. The man just plays beautiful basketball. 

Seriously, how do you stop this?

It's absurd to think that the Nets will hit teams with Durant, Irving and James Harden come the postseason, a trio that has rarely been healthy enough to play together this season. Which of that trio gets an opponent's best defender?

And honestly, does it even matter? Because can anybody actually stop Durant? When he gets going like he did Sunday, it sure doesn't seem like it. 

What's Next?

These teams meet again in another game with huge postseason implications Tuesday night in Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

Milwaukee Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss his team's road game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday at the United Center with a right ankle sprain, per the NBA's official injury report.

Antetokounmpo suffered the injury in the first minute of the Bucks' 143-136 road loss to the Houston Rockets on Thursday. NBA.com provided more information:

"He appeared to step on the foot of Kelly Olynyk, rolling what was already an injured ankle. He limped to the locker room and spent a few minutes there before returning to the bench, where he sat for the rest of the game.

"Antetokounmpo entered the game listed as probable with a right ankle sprain."

Antetokounmpo, the two-time defending NBA Most Valuable Player, has put together another standout season for the Bucks. He's averaged 28.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks across 53 appearances during the 2020-21 campaign.

The 26-year-old five-time All-Star has mostly dealt with minor ailments throughout his eight-year NBA career, and that trend has continued this season.

Bobby Portis figures to receive the biggest uptick in playing time when the Greek Freak is unavailable. It should also create more chances for P.J. Tucker as part of the frontcourt rotation. Tucker notably replaced Antetokounmpo in the lineup on Thursday post-injury, and he started for him in the second half too.

The arrival of Jrue Holiday this season has at least taken some pressure off Antetokounmpo's shoulders, but his health is still the most important factor in the Bucks' playoff push. Milwaukee has a golden opportunity to make a deep run if he's at full strength.