Giannis Antetokounmpo

New Orleans Pelicans point guard Eric Bledsoe played with reigning two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks for nearly three full seasons before being traded to the Pels.

On Friday, he compared the talents of Antetokounmpo and Zion Williamson, who is having a fantastic sophomore season for the Pelicans in part because of his work in the restricted area. 

"I've played with one other player that has done that," Bledsoe said in reference to Williamson's efforts, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. "That's Giannis."

Williamson is only 43 games into his NBA career, but he's averaged 23.0 points on 58.8 percent shooting, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 30.0 minutes per game.

The ex-Duke star makes his home at the rim, where he's taken 204 of his 298 field-goal attempts this season while hitting 65.7 percent of those shots.

Antetokounmpo has a broader range at this stage of his career, with 52.3 percent of his shots occurring away from the rim. Like Williamson, though, Antetokounmpo is incredible down low, converting on an eye-popping 83.3 percent of his shots at the rim.

Antetokounmpo dominated the Pels in a matchup last Friday, posting 38 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. However, Zion's Pelicans got the last laugh with a 131-126 win thanks in part to a 21-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist effort from Williamson. 

Advanced shooting numbers courtesy of Basketball Reference.

By halftime, Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a double-double, so it was only fitting that he secured a triple-double by the end of the third quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks' 130-110 rout of the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Antetokounmpo's performance vaulted him into fourth place on the team's all-time assist list, and the 13-8 Bucks claimed second place in the Eastern Conference with the victory, jumping over the 14-9 Brooklyn Nets.

For the 12-10 Pacers, Domantas Sabonis became the second player in team history to tally at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in back-to-back games.

Notable Performers

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: 21 PTS (7/8 FG, 7/8 FT), 14 REB, 10 AST
• Domantas Sabonis, Pacers: 33 PTS (14/25 FG, 3/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 12 REB, 6 AST
• Bobby Portis, Bucks: 18 PTS (7/13 FG, 4/5 3PT), 9 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
• Justin Holiday, Pacers: 15 PTS (5/8 FG, 3/5 3PT, 2/2 FT), 8 REB, 2 STL

High-Flying Pacers Grounded by Bucks

When they needed it most, the Pacers were able to pull off their best performance of the season Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.

After back-to-back losses, the Pacers set season bests for points scored (134), field-goal percentage (59.8) and three-point percentage (55.2). Sabonis tied a career high with 32 points, while Malcolm Brogdon posted 23 and Myles Turner had 22.

On Wednesday, though, the Pacers couldn't keep up with the Bucks. They trailed by eight after the first quarter and entered the break down by 17. The Pacers fell behind in nearly every category, hitting 40.8 percent of their shots from the field and 33.3 percent from three in the first half.

In contrast, the Bucks hit 12 of their 26 shots from deep in the opening half. Though Indiana gave up the ball six times to Milwaukee's eight, the Bucks were more productive when they took the ball away, scoring 11 points off turnovers.

Sabonis grabbed 18 points to lead all scorers in the first half, and he didn't get the help he needed from his teammates in the second half. He ended the night with 33 points to lead all scorers, while Holiday tacked on 15 as the next-highest-scoring Pacer.

The Pacers were limited to 45.3 shooting from the field overall and hit 11 of 34 three-point attempts.

Milwaukee's Defense Bounces Back

The Bucks defense has struggled of late, especially in preventing opponents from hitting shots from deep. The unit ranks 20th in the league with an average of 112.4 points allowed but is third-worst in opponent three-point percentage (39.2).

That struggle was on display in their last two losses. The New Orleans Pelicans attempted a season-high 48 shots from beyond the arc and hit a whopping 21 of them—tying a franchise record they set last month—as they beat the Bucks 131-126 in Milwaukee on Friday. On Saturday, the Charlotte Hornets also hit 21 threes as they rolled to a 126-114 victory.

With the Pacers fresh off a top performance from three, the Bucks would need to fix the issues on defense to be successful Wednesday.

They were up to the task—especially in the areas that hurt them in their last two losses. The Pacers never led, and the Bucks limited them to 40.8 percent shooting in the first half, running out to a 21-10 lead to start the game.

In the end, the Bucks grabbed 13 steals and held the Pacers to 32.4 percent shooting from deep.

What's Next?

The Bucks are set for a back-to-back on the road with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET) and Saturday (8 p.m. ET).

The Pacers will host the Pelicans on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

The Milwaukee Bucks suffered an upset loss against the New Orleans Pelicans 131-126 at Smoothie King Center on Friday. 

The second leg of Milwaukee's three-game road trip saw the Bucks (11-7) miss out on their third three-game win streak this season despite a 38-point effort from reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. It just wasn't enough to overpower Zion Williamson and the Pelicans (7-10).

Lonzo Ball made his return to the Pels' lineup after exiting early in a win over the Washington Wizards with an ankle injury Wednesday. The point guard, who's been the subject of trade rumors lately, tested out his movement during warmups before the team made a determination on his status. 

New Orleans has now won three of its last six but remains in last place in the Southwest Division. 

Notable Performers

Zion Williamson, PF, New Orleans Pelicans: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists (career high)

Lonzo Ball, PG, New Orleans Pelicans: 27 points (career high), 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 7 three-pointers

Eric Bledsoe, SG, New Orleans Pelicans: 25 points, 4 assists, 7 three-pointers

Giannis Antetokoumpo, PF, Milwaukee Bucks: 38 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists

Khris Middleton, SF, Milwaukee Bucks: 16 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists

Bledsoe's Revenge, Lonzo's Return Lead Pels

One game after suffering an ankle injury—and two games after his name began popping up in trade rumors—Lonzo Ball gave the Pelicans all the justification they needed not to move the point guard. 

After spending the day as a game-time decision, Ball put together a career performance and helped deliver New Orleans' biggest win of the year. Behind a lights-out shooting performance from Ball, the Pelicans built a 23-point halftime lead on the second-best team in the East. 

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Friday tied the largest halftime deficit the Bucks had faced under head coach Mike Budenholzer. 

Adding to the sting was a hot start from former Bucks star Eric Bledsoe, who Milwaukee sent to New Orleans just before training camps opened up this year. 

Bledsoe poured in 11 points early in the first quarter, nailing five three-pointers before halftime and tying his season-high in scoring before the third quarter even began. 

On the rare occasion the Pels missed, Steven Adams was there to grab the rebound, finishing the night with an astounding 20 boards and four points. 

The evening provided a glimpse of what New Orleans could look like when everyone is clicking. Consistent shooting from the backcourt stretched out Milwaukee's defense, leaving plenty of space for Williamson and Brandon Ingram (28 points) to operate on the wings while Adams stole a few extra possessions in the paint. 

It may take head coach Stan Van Gundy awhile longer before nights like these become the norm, but there's no doubt the Pelicans are getting stronger in Year 2 of the Zion era. 

Giannis-Led Comeback Falls Short

The low point for Milwaukee came four minutes into the second half Friday. 

After the Pels opened up the third quarter with back-to-back wide-open threes from Ball, Budenholzer had to use two timeouts in quick succession to ensure he could keep his club in the game. At that point, the Bucks were down 29 points. 

But Budenholzer didn't pull the plug on trying to eke out a win. He instead walked over to Antetokoumpo, gave his star player a pep talk and watched as he took over the remainder of the game. 

Antetokoumpo scored 12 points in the third quarter after netting just nine points in the first half. His change of pace while driving into the lane, along with a few pump fakes, kept getting defenders to overcommit and give up uncontested shots at the rim. 

Soon, Antetokoumpo's teammates began getting extra space to create, leading the Greek Freak to get the rest of the lineup involved in a major way. 

The 81 points scored by the Bucks in the second half were tied for the most by any team in a loss in the last 35 seasons, per ESPN Stats & Info. On multiple occasions, Milwaukee was able to cut the lead to single digits, but the biggest impediment to the comeback quickly became the clock. 

With a few more minutes in this one, maybe the Bucks end up pulling off the win. Instead, they leave New Orleans with a lesson that no lead is safe when the team buys in, especially if Antetokoumpo is the one doing the selling.

What's Next

Milwaukee wraps up its road trip against the Charlotte Hornets at 8 p.m ET on Saturday before returning home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday at 8 p.m. ET. The Pelicans remain at home for another three games as the surging Houston Rockets visit New Orleans on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has a theory as to why LeBron James hasn't won an NBA MVP award since the 2012-13 season.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Stevens credited voter boredom as a key reason for James' MVP drought:

Celtics guard Kemba Walker praised James' ability to always step up in the biggest moments, on and off the court:

The seven-year MVP drought is certainly something that James is aware of. He said last year's voting "pissed me off" when Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo won the award for the second straight season. 

After the Lakers beat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, James also commented about wanting to get respect. 

"We just want our respect. Rob wants his respect," he said. "Coach Vogel wants his respect. Organization want their respect. Lakers Nation wants their respect. And I want my damn respect too."

James certainly isn't lacking for accolades since arriving in the NBA in 2003. He's one of five players in league history with at least four MVP awards—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five) and Wilt Chamberlain (four) are the others.

The Lakers star leads all players with 16 career appearances on the All-NBA team and 13 All-NBA First-Team selections. He's been named Finals MVP in each of his team's four championship wins.

James is one of the most calculated athletes in the world. He doesn't say anything without a purpose behind it. All of his comments since losing the MVP last season seem to indicate a superstar who is doing his best to control the narrative of an award that is driven almost entirely by narrative. 

Whatever happens with the MVP award this season, James certainly looks like he will be a factor in the race. The 36-year-old is averaging 25.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists through 20 games. 

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo took time out of his busy practice schedule to offer some advice to Conor McGregor in advance of his lightweight bout against Dustin Poirier in UFC 257 on Saturday:

We'll soon find out if McGregor utilizes the sneak attack bear hug in the Octagon, with his fight against Poirier set to be UFC 257's main event.

For now, Bucks assistant coach Vin Baker may want to watch his back at practice after Antetokounmpo used him as a model for his MMA suggestions.

On the court, the reigning two-time NBA MVP is enjoying another excellent season, averaging 27.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists for the 9-6 Bucks.

In the Octagon, McGregor is 22-4 lifetime, with his last win occurring via a first-round TKO of Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in 40 seconds last January.

Following Thursday's 113-106 road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers are 12-4. That's the best record in the NBA. 

They have the best net rating in the league too, with a mark that's just over a full point better than second-place Milwaukee's. They're fifth in offense and first in defense.

And yet, it still feels like this updated version of the Lakers hasn't quite hit its top gear.

Anthony Davis is averaging 21.1 points, his lowest mark since 2013-14, when he was an NBA sophomore. LeBron's 24.4 is his lowest average since his rookie campaign in 2003-04. Thursday, he topped 30 for the first time in 2020-21. Again, you have to go back to '03-04 to find a season when it took him longer to drop 30.

A simple recitation of their scoring averages doesn't do the cruise control justice, though. If you tuned into about any Lakers game this season, you likely saw long stretches in which L.A. just sort of wandered its way into winning basketball.

That probably doesn't give the coaching staff enough credit for schemes that have led to top-five efficiency on both ends, but it just feels like the Lakers still have more to give.

"I've been talking to players on the team, my coaches, my family," AD told the TNT broadcast following Thursday's 8-of-18 performance. "Just trying to figure out how to get back into a rhythm."

He also verbalized a desire to help newcomers Marc Gasol, Montrezl Harrell, Wesley Matthews and Dennis Schroder acclimate. That could certainly be contributing to a lack of rhythm, but his game against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks offers an example of another factor.

In the first half, AD aggressively got to 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Six of his attempts were in the lane. Three more came from barely outside it. In the second half, he was 2-of-8 (almost exclusively jumpers) for five points.

Milwaukee did a decent job of walling off the paint before Davis even caught the ball, but a sense of urgency seemed to be lacking. And it's tough to blame AD for that.

"We're still winning," he told Marv Albert and Chris Webber. Why would he push for gaudier individual numbers if the team is doing fine with him in cruise control?

You get a similar sense while watching LeBron (at least until Thursday's 34-point outburst). The 4.8 box plus/minus he brought into the game against the Bucks was his lowest mark in the catch-all metric since, you guessed it, his rookie year.

The Lakers are still comfortably better with him on the floor, but the swing isn't as dramatic as it's been through most of his career. And the way he's running possessions now looks more like the pace of Driving Miss Daisy than Mad Max: Fury Road (L.A. is in the bottom half of the league in actual pace).

His thorough outplaying of Giannis in a potential Finals preview was a reminder of how quickly he can rev things up, though. Beyond his season-high 34 points, LeBron had eight dimes, six threes and a fourth-quarter dagger that felt like a statement.

The two-time reigning MVP, meanwhile, was minus-six in 35 minutes, fouled out and turned the ball over nine times. With just under eight minutes left in the game and his team down by nine, he rhythm-dribbled into a 19-foot pull-up that he left about two feet too short.

The contrast between the athletic phenom who eventually added the jumper and the one who hasn't was stark. And if these teams do indeed meet in the Finals, that difference will matter.

The Lakers' deeper roster will obviously help too. This offseason, Milwaukee mortgaged much of its future and bench for Jrue Holiday. A head-to-head comparison of Holiday and Eric Bledsoe is one thing, but what that deal led to for the entire roster is another.

Solid (if aging) role players like George Hill, Wesley Matthews, Ersan Ilyasova, Kyle Korver and Marvin Williams were replaced by less proven names like Bobby Portis, Torrey Craig and Bryn Forbes.

L.A., on the other hand, replaced Danny Green with Schroder, who'd just finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting. JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard were gritty defenders and rim-runners, but the versatility of a center rotation with Gasol's passing, shooting and basketball IQ and Harrell's spark-plug energy was a clear upgrade.

And even those newcomers (with the possible exception of Harrell) seem like they haven't peaked either.

Schroder is the team's third-leading scorer, but his effective field-goal percentage is six points lower than it was last season. Gasol is playing fewer than 20 minutes per game. That can be ramped up for the postseason. Over the course of this campaign, Harrell can improve as a defender playing alongside and practicing with elite defenders like Gasol and Davis.

Maybe this all sounds a bit nitpicky. It isn't meant to be. It's more of a comment on just how scary this team's potential is.

Even when playing in second or third gear for most of this young season, it looks like the Lakers are in a tier of their own, with squads like the Los Angeles Clippers and Bucks creeping up behind them.

Whenever L.A. hits that top gear, it's hard to imagine anyone matching the balance and talent of this roster. 

The Los Angeles Lakers looked plenty motivated during Thursday's 113-106 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, but Anthony Davis said it wasn't because of a lack of individual awards.

"He deserved them," Davis said when asked if Giannis Antetokounmpo winning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year last season provided any extra motivation for himself and LeBron James, per Mark Medina of USA Today. "For us, we just try to go out there and win basketball games."

James was a candidate for the MVP last season and has looked like one this season as well with 34 points, eight assists and six rebounds. He was aggressive in the early going and attacked the basket, which forced defenders to sag off him some.

He then responded with six three-pointers, one of which served as the exclamation point in the closing minutes.

While Davis said the MVP snub didn't give any extra motivation, Eric Woodyard of ESPN pointed out the King has reached the 30-point mark in six of his last seven games against Giannis. That's surely something to keep in mind if the Lakers do play the Bucks in the NBA Finals, as James seems to take his game to the next level whenever he is matched up against his fellow superstar.

Davis was also solid with 18 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks, but it was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who provided the most important secondary scoring with 23 points on 7-of-10 shooting from deep. 

He was waiting to take advantage of the openings whenever the Bucks collapsed on LeBron and AD and helped tilt the game in Los Angeles' favor.

The Lakers also stymied Antetokounmpo and forced nine turnovers from the Milwaukee star. 

Giannis may be the MVP, but he was not the best player on the court Thursday.